Savory Zucchini Pie

Man, this is a blast from the WAY past. I was looking through cookbooks for a zucchini bread recipe and in the back of my ancient copy of the Moosewood Cookbook, I found this.

It came from a neighbor when I was a kid in Augusta. Mom was always looking for ways to get us to eat the massive quantities of zucchini that grew in the garden every summer. Fried zucchini and zucchini pie were my two favorites. This isn't quite a quiche but is something similar. Yours may look different from the picture. I screwed mine up. My poorly copied directions from 17 years ago led me to make my pie without precooking the zucchini and onions. Good thing zucchini is everywhere right now.

Savory Zucchini Pie

• 1 tube of crescent dinner rolls or 1 pie crust bottom if you're feeling ambitious
• mustard
• 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
• 1 cup chopped onion
• butter or olive oil
• parsley, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella

If you have the time and energy, nothing beats freshly made pie crust. I am, quite frequently, a lazy cook. Therefore, I open a tube of those crescent dinner rolls and press the wedges into the pie plate to form a crust. Rub a very thin layer of mustard onto the unbaked crust. You don't want it to be all mustardy, but it adds a nice hit of flavor. Set this aside and preheat the oven to 375.

Saute the zucchini, onion and garlic in the butter or olive oil until tender. You want the mixture to be soft and on the dry side. Zucchini has a lot of moisture in it and your pie will be soggy if you don't cook some of the liquid out. Add the herbs, salt and pepper. Use fresh if you've got 'em.

In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs and cheese and then toss in the veggies. Pour the whole mess into the pie crust and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the center is set. Cover with foil if needed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.