Zucchini and corn tart mixed with summer squash and mozzarella, all topped off with slivers of mint and basil. The perfect side dish or vegetarian main for the summertime bounty from the garden.
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At this point in my life, most of my friends have lost both of their parents. So when I heard that the 90+ year-old parents of a friend were zipping up to the Lake for a weekend visit, I wanted them all to come to dinner.
As the dinner drew near, I worried if they might sit wrapped in shawls, and focus the conversation on their aches and pains. My husband is a retired physician, and this turn of conversation is not uncommon.
But I consoled myself that they drove themselves here. So they must be at least alert and aware of their surroundings. Right?
Within minutes of their arrival, I realized I had worried for nothing. They were youthful, possessed excellent energy, and loved wine (hello, they live in Napa). Throughout the evening, we all kept up a steady stream of chatter about our lives, our travels, and bear sightings (this is Tahoe, after all).
The evening made me wonder what combination of factors leads one person to age gracefully, and another to falter?
I have friends who mourned their 30th birthday, and then their 40th. If those are dress rehearsals for 70, 80 and 90, they're in for some difficult times.
So what seems to support aging with grace? For starters:
- Good health (duh), a strong social network of friends and/or family, and a sense of humor to prevent taking yourself too seriously.
- A strong faith in something larger than yourself.
- Be interested and engaged in things outside of yourself.
Meanwhile, this tart is one of the things I served at the dinner. It apparently serves 6 since a few of us had seconds, and only a small sliver was left over that I ate with my lunch the following day.
Tips in Making this Zucchini and Corn Tart
Tips for Making the Tart Shell
If you don’t want to make your own crust, I totally get it. There are lots of frozen ones you can buy at the market. Here's a review of the best ones available. But I urge you to reconsider. A tender, buttery crust is perfect in this zucchini and corn tart.
This recipe uses einkorn (wheat) flour. I love the fact that it’s so much healthier than modern wheat flours. Check out this post for the health benefits. If you make this tart with modern all-purpose flour, no worries, just substitute it for einkorn using a 1 to 1 ratio when using it for a pie crust.
Even for pie crust, I weigh the flour. Too much flour can create a tough crust, and weighing it prevents this from happening.
When rolling out dough, always sandwich the disc between 2 pieces of wax paper. This allows you to quickly roll out the dough without having it stick to the counter. This also means you don't have to add flour to the workspace. It always ends up being incorporated into the dough, and this typically results in a tough crust.
Tips for Making the Tart Filling
Don't use pre-grated mozzarella for this zucchini and corn tart, as it typically includes cellulose which mutes the flavor and makes it drier. I love the flavor of Mozzarella di Bufala made from the milk of the domestic water buffalo. It’s creamier and therefore impossible to grate, so I just tore off pieces for the tart. Otherwise, feel free to grate up fresh mozzarella. Traditionally mozzarella is not vegetarian as it typically uses animal rennet. There are, however, vegetarian mozzarella-like alternative cheeses.
Zucchini and summer squash are both soft enough that they're very easy to slice, but it's not always easy to slice evenly. A hand-held mandolin (see the equipment notes below) helps with this, and makes the work go very quickly.
The best way to slice corn kernels from an ear of corn is to lay the ear down on a cutting board lengthwise. Slice down one side of the corn, removing the kernels. Turn the cob a little, and repeat. Continue until all the corn kernels are removed. Most other methods result in corn rolling all over the place.
When fully baked, the zucchini will be al dente, retaining much of its moisture and a slight bite to it. Zucchini and summer squash both have a lot of moisture locked in them, and if you cook them until they're completely limp, the tart will become wet and soggy.
The actual cooking time will be dependent on how thickly you slice the zucchini and summer squash.
Recommended Equipment + Supplies for Making This Zucchini and Corn Tart
And if you have a bounty of zucchini in your garden, make this quinoa zucchini salad. It's one I make all summer, and friends always ask for the recipe!
Or make these healthy gluten free corn fritters with zucchini. They're always a hit at our house!
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Zucchini and Corn Tart with Mozzarella
Ingredients
Tart Shell
- 10 ounces einkorn flour, (300 grams or 2 ½ cups) or standard all-purpose flour (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon unflavored vinegar
- ¼ - ⅓ cup ice water
Tart Filling
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 medium shallot minced
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic or Gourmet Gardens garlic paste
- 8 ounces Mozzarella di Bufala or regular mozzarella cheese
- 2 medium zucchini squash
- 1 yellow summer squash
- 2 ears corn
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh dill
Instructions
Tart Shell
- It you're making your own crust, watch this video for mixing the dough. Refrigerate the dough until firm - about 20 minutes.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425˚F to pre-bake the crust.
- I roll my dough out between 2 sheets wax paper. This keeps the dough from sticking to the counter and negates the need to keep adding flour to the workspace. Flip the dough over every few roll-outs. Each time the dough disc is flipped over, gently peel off the wax paper off, and reapply. This allows the dough to move more easily when being rolled. If the dough becomes sticky in places, sprinkle on a little flour.
- When rolled out, it should fit into your tart pan. For this recipe, I used a rectangular tart pan 8" X 11" instead of the round pie shape shown in the photo. But either works fine. If the dough is too warm to work with at any stage, just pop it back in the refrigerator for a quick chill. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.
- Lay the dough over the tart pan, tuck into the corners, and trim â…›" above the edge of the tart pan. The dough will shrink a bit during baking. Dock the dough by puncturing it many times with a fork. Fold a sheet of foil or parchment paper to fit the bottom of the crust, and weigh it down with dried beans or rice.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake another 20 - 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Tart Filling
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and green onion slices, and sauté for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, and sauté for another minute. Spread across the bottom of the baked tart shell. Spread ½ of the cheese on top.
- Thinly slice the zucchini and yellow squash using a sharp knife or mandolin. Arrange the slices on top of the cheese. Shuck the corn and slice off the kernels using a sharp knife. Spread the squash across the tart. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Lower the temperature of the oven to 400˚ F. Bake for 30 minutes and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the squash tender. (Pro Tip: Squash contains a great deal of moisture. If you bake the tart until the squash is completely limp, the tart will become wet and soggy. This baking time ensures that the squash is cooked, but still al dente, retaining much of it's moisture.
- Thinly slice fresh mint, basil and dill leaves and spread across the top of the tart just before serving.
Helen@cuisinestudy
What a beautiful dish!! Zucchini and corn are one of my favourite combinations, I will have to try!
Thanks for great recipe ever!!!!!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so so much Helen!!! It was so good, I have to admit! If you make it, I hope you enjoy it too 🙂
Liz
Wow! This is one gorgeous, veggie tart! I need to check our produce stand and buy some sweet corn!!! Delish!!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Liz!! It screams summer!!!
Rita
This sounds dee-lish Susan, and a natural for yummy summer corn. And... the basil-mint combo is one of my favorites.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Rita! I love the basil-mint combo on so many things - especially this time of year 🙂
cheri
Hi Susan, oh this is beautiful, funny thing. I made something very similar to this a few days ago. Love all the flavors that you used, this is summer veggies at there finest.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh how wonderful to hear from you! This is summer on a plate. We'll be driving through your neck of the woods (kind of) over the next few days. Oregon and Washington are beautiful this time of year. We leave for Ashland tomorrow morning, and then onto Portland and ultimately Friday Harbor in the San Juans. Can't wait!
Jenni
Yes, always fresh mozzarella! So good!
And I loved your thoughts on aging. My folks are not doing it, and it's very sad. Conversations with them are basically a calendar of what doctor's appointments are happening on which days. Ugh. I strive to look at the larger picture and how I fit into the world. It's dangerous to let the world you attend to shrink down to the size of your house.
xo
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm sorry, Jenni. My folks didn't navigate it well either. Their conversations were dominated by aches, dr. appts., and who had recently died way before it should have (IMHO). I think that's why the topic interests me. I don't want to follow in their footsteps. It is indeed dangerous to have one's world shrink down to the size of a house. Big, huge hugs to you.
Jill Silverman Hough
Gorgeous! Pinning!!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Aw, Jill, thanks so so much 🙂 Hope you're having a great summer!
Jane, The Heritage Cook
Susan you are grace and beauty personified. I love your discussion here - this topic is on my mind a lot too these days having lost both my parents early. Staying young is often a matter of mindset and no one is younger at heart than you!! And this tart ... Oh. My. Heavens! Beautiful, luscious, healthy, and gorgeous - the perfect way to celebrate the beauty of the summer harvest!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much, my friend :-). I really appreciate it!
laura@motherwouldknow
Susan, When it comes to your posts, the recipes are always great, but the stories are even better. So much wisdom packed into just a few paragraphs. As to the tart - well, if I get it together to buy eikorn flour and make my own crust, I'll let you know. But first, I have to run right out and buy the fun square pan:) Even with a store-bought crust and a plain old round tart pan, I can't wait to make this fabulous tart. What a gorgeous and delicious use of summer vegetables and special cheese.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thank you so much, Laura. I really appreciate your lovely comment. I sure hope we meet someday!
Yum Girl
This looks so good! I'm headed to the farmer's market Saturday and I'm going to make this dish over the weekend - it just screams summer! Kelli
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh thanks so much Kelli!! Let me know how it works for you if you make it!
The Food Hunter
this is going on my must make list. It sounds awesome.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'd love to hear how it works for you if you make it!! Thanks so much!
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
This is definitely summer's bounty at its finest. Amazing for any summer meal!
Mary
I am salivating!! This is the perfect solution to my overflowing garden. I can't wait to make it!
Megan
Yum! What a great way to use summer veggies.
Barb | Creative Culinary
This tart sounds absolutely perfect; this is the type of vegetarian dish anyone could love!
Deborah
It sounds delicious, but I'm confused about the name of the dish -- tomatoes?? Don't see them in the actual recipe....
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You're right. I had had to submit the name of the dish before I'd completed working through it. In the end I opted not to include tomatoes, but the reference to it lives on in the original title. The title at the top of the post doesn't include it, so I apologize for the confusion!! You're free, however, to include them when you make it. It's a delicious dish that's been a real crowd pleaser at our home!
Anne Marie Flynn
Susan, I was just thinking of zucchini for dinner and immediately thought of this recipe. I had to let you know that I made this recipe last summer and loved it. I never would have thought of combining these veggies but they're perfect. I've also made it without the crust.. just put everything into a glass casserole dish and baked. It came out wonderful that way too! Thank you for a great recipe!
Savita
How delicious and easy-to-make does this casserole sounds. I'm a super fan of zucchini and corn and cook it all summer long. Bookmarked to try this soon. Thanks for sharing.
thewimpyvegetarian
It's seriously one of my favorite dishes I make all summer! If you make it, I'd love to hear what you think!