Zucchini Pie from Worcester

Baking tool:

• a (fluted) loose-based baking tin,
• top 28 cm /underside 26 cm /rim 2,5 cm,
• greased with butter

 

Dough:

• 250 g plain flour
• 4 g easy-blend/easy-bake dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 100-150 ml cold milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 3 g salt
• 100 g cold butter
• flour for rolling out

Filling:

• 25 g butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 400 g zucchini (courgettes) in slices
• ready made mustard
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon oregano, chopped
• 1 tablespoon basil, chopped
• 350 g mozzarella, diced
• 2 eggs (m)
• pepper, salt

For painting:

• beaten egg

Suddenly there are a lot of shiny courgettes among the big leaves in my daughter’s English vegetable garden. That requires quick action, because they are not grown to throw away. Then I remember the church cookbook Seasoned with love (1990) that we once brought from Worcester Massachusetts. Congregation members of Greendale People’s Church had made their culinary successes available to raise money for a charity. Apparently they liked to cook given the exellent recipes. In between you will find helpful hints, such as how to ripen green pears: place 2 or 3 in a brown bag, loosly closed, and store at room temperature. Or how to remove gum from hair: rub a plain chocolate bar in hair – then wash.

Mrs Phyllis Steinberg proposes this Zucchini Pie. She recommends ready-made croissant dough. You can do that, but of course I have to  give my own recipe in this collection. Advantage: you can decide yourself how much butter you put into the dough.

• Mix flour, yeast and sugar. Add 100 ml milk and the yolk. Knead shortly. Add salt and maybe some more milk. Knead a smooth dough (10 minutes kneading machine, lowest position).
• Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 32×32 cm square. Place the butter in thin slices in the middle, so that a third is covered. Fold the sides over it. Press the ends and fold the dough in three again. Cool for a quarter of an hour. Roll out, fold and cool twice again.
• Finally roll out the dough to 32×32 cm. Line the prepared tin with the dough, so that 4 dough points hang over the rim and the rest of the dough is just a bit higher than the rim. Prick the dough case with a fork, cover with a dampened dish-towel and leave to rise for half an hour at room temperature.
• Meanwhile cook the chopped onion over a low flame. Add the zucchini slices, cook until bright green and soft. Let drain and cool in a sieve.
• Preheat the oven at 200˚C/400˚F/gas 6.
• Paint the dough with beaten egg, then with a layer of mustard. Mix the slices of zucchini with chopped herbs, dry patted mozzarella and the eggs. Add pepper and salt. Bring over into the pastry case. Fold the loose dough over the filling. Paint with beaten egg.
• Bake for about 45 minutes on the lowest shelf. The top should not become too dark.