Polenta tart with zucchini and feta

In summer we don't feel like cooking as much or spending hours in front of the stove, but we can't live on salads alone. Savory tarts are a good solution to serve at a summer dinner. It's true that we tend to turn to wheat flours as the base for our tarts but there are actually other good, healthy, and slightly different options from the usual. With this polenta, zucchini and feta tart we'll win over our diners, who will find a tasty corn flavor in the base and a juicy filling made of eggs, feta and zucchini; the latter with a crunchy texture.

Polenta is the semolina of corn that has a very fine yellow grain. It is a cereal that is gluten-free and is very easy to digest, which is why people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity can eat it. As for properties, it's a good source of magnesium, calcium, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, carotenoids, folic acid, fiber and essential fatty acids. It is also an important source of B vitamins.

I used feta cheese for this recipe but a ricotta, or a fresh cow or goat cheese are also very good alternatives.

The preparation of this tart is quick and easy; we can even have the base prepared in advance and finish it the next day. What really makes it showy is the zucchini finish that we cut with a mandoline and roll into a spiral. It's a tart to serve warm and straight from the oven, because the polenta will be crispier, but reheated it will become the envy of all the lunchboxes.

Non-stick rectangular removable-base mold De Buyer

Ingredients

Tart base:

• 125gr polenta
• 500ml vegetable broth
• 2 tsp oregano or Herbes de Provence
• Salt and pepper
• Oil
• Non-stick rectangular removable-base mold De Buyer

Filling:

• 3 medium zucchinis
• 2 eggs
• 150gr feta
• 250ml rice milk (you can use cow's milk if you wish)
• 4 tablespoons homemade pesto
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

Prepare the tart base

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Brush a 10 x 35cm tart pan with olive oil. Cut a piece of baking paper to the size of the pan and place it on the bottom and brush again with oil.
3. Heat the vegetable broth and when it starts to boil add the polenta, and season. Mix and keep stirring for a couple of minutes until it is completely cooked and has a pasty consistency.
4. Turn off the heat, add the spices and keep mixing.
5. Without letting it rest, pour the mixture into the pan and with the help of a spatula first and then with your hands, spread the mixture over the bottom and the sides of the pan until it is even. Put the base in the oven at 200ºC for 30 minutes until it is crisp.

Prepare the filling

1. Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper, add the milk and the crumbled feta and blend a little with the blender. Leave some lumps and set aside.
2. Slice the zucchinis with the mandoline into thin strips, roll the strips like a cannelloni and insert toothpicks to hold them and keep the spiral shape until you place them in the pan. Set aside.
3. Take the polenta tart base and spread 4 tablespoons of pesto, add the egg and feta mixture and place the zucchini spirals on top, pressing them against each other to prevent them from opening too much during baking.
4. Return to the oven at 180ºC for 20 to 25 minutes until the filling has set.
5. Serve warm or cold. Serve with a salad.

Non-stick rectangular removable-base mold De Buyer