Stringy Zucchini Flan

The stringy zucchini flan is a simple and tasty dish, perfect as a starter or as a vegetarian second course. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 500 g of zucchini
• 1 small onion
• 3 eggs
• 200 g of stringy cheese (for example, scamorza or mozzarella)
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Breadcrumbs as needed
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Butter for greasing the baking dish

Preparation

1. Start by washing the zucchini, cut them into not too thin rounds, and then cook them in a pan with a drizzle of oil and finely chopped onion until they become soft. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, add the Parmesan and mix well to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
3. Take the cooked zucchini, let them cool down a bit and then add them to the egg mixture, mixing gently.
4. Cut the stringy cheese into cubes and incorporate it into the mixture.
5. Take a baking mold (which can be round or rectangular), grease it with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs to prevent the flan from sticking.
6. Pour the zucchini mixture into the mold and level it with the back of a spoon.
7. Sprinkle the surface with more breadcrumbs and a few curls of butter to gratinate.
8. Bake at 180 °C for about 30-35 minutes or until the surface becomes golden brown and crispy.
9. Once cooked, let it cool for a few minutes before unmolding.

If you want, you can add aromatic herbs such as basil or mint to the zucchini for a fresh touch. Furthermore, some variants might include adding diced cooked ham if you have no vegetarian restrictions.

Curiosity

The flan is a very versatile dish and can be prepared with various vegetables depending on the season and preferences. Also, some people prefer it with more gratin crust, in which case it can be useful to finish it under the oven’s grill for the last few minutes of cooking.