Oh My, So Many Tomatoes and Zucs! An Inspired Recipe

Our garden seems to have exploded in the last month.
If you take a walk in my messy garden (the weeds are trying to take over) you may feel like you have gone into a jungle- a wonderful fresh tomatoey smelling garden, filled with lots of light green textures, a carnival shapes and lots of fruit (veggies, really) each fighting for center stage.

This time I was lured in by the sweet, cheerful cherry tomatoes. Then the yellow pear tomatoes insisted that they join the party. And I could not leave out the Romas, so they joined in, too. Lest they become some sauce, they whispered in my ear that I needed to stroll over to the zucchini patch where those plants were taking over like so many cousins piling out of a station wagon. I had to pick a few of them to join us in the kitchen. On my way out the basil leaned over, blocking my way and grabbing hold of my nose with their wonderful scent. I think you might get the picture...

Once I was back in the kitchen I started looking for stuff that I might use to highlight my garden treasures. Out came the phyllo dough, the olive oil, the pesto, the feta and the Parmesan. With these items gathered, I knew I was onto something. After washing everything off, I began. I layered sheets of phyllo dough brushed with olive oil on top of each other about 10 times. I topped that with a thin compliment of pesto.

I sauteed the zucchini in olive oil on the stove and I placed them on the bed of prepared phyllo.

The zucs were joined by tomatoes artfully placed, basil interspersed next to Feta cheese. This was all topped with a sprinkling with Parmesan cheese and baked until the phyllo was crispy. It was a hit with the fam. I can't wait to make another one!


Here's the recipe:

Tomato, Zucchini and Cheese Tart

1/2 cup Olive Oil
10 sheets Phyllo Dough
1 med. Zucchini, thinly sliced and quarted
2 cups Tomatoes (Cherry, Roma, etc. small ones work best)
1 cup Feta *
1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated *
1/3 cup Pesto *

(* = this amount is merely a suggestion. Go with how much or low little compliments your taste.)

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Saute the zucchini in 3 TBL. of olive oil in a sauce pan until it becomes slightly translucent (about 5 minutes).

Set this aside to cool while you lay down one or two layers of phyllo dough on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Use a silicone pastry brush to brush on a think layer of olive oil. Top this with one or two more sheets of phyllo and repeat the process until you are out of phyllo dough.

Top this with basil, gently spreading it around as if it were pizza sauce. You may want to adjust the amount of pesto according to your taste. Consider being light with your touch so as to not overwhelm your tart with pesto.

Arrange the zucchini, tomatoes and basil to your liking.

Spread out the Feta as much as you like. Top it all with the Parmesan cheese. The tart can be refridgerated, if needed, at this point.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the tart is warm, about 15-20 minutes. Cut with a pizza wheel or knife. This can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!