A FAMILY FAVOURITE: ZUCCHINI CAKE

Italians are great in inventing all sorts of savoury tarts and cakes. One particular recipe has become a firm family favourite: Cake Salato alle Zucchine, which could be translated simply as a savoury zucchini cake.  I learned this from an excellent book called Lezioni di Cucina: Un Corso completo fotografato step by step. This is dead easy to make and actually tastes better the day after baking.

Don't worry if it is not perfect when you take it out of the tin. Leave the cake to cool and it will firm up so that it can be sliced nicely. 

You will need:

180 g flour
3 zucchinis
100 g pancetta or cooked ham in small cubes
150 g ricotta
50g parmigiano
1 onion
3 eggs
100 ml olive oil
100 ml milk
1 tbsp baking powder
salt, pepper, herbs

1. Cut the zucchini in small cubes and fry with onion. Add  pancetta or cooked ham cubes to the mixture. Add salt and herbs.

You can add other veggies into this mixture too - I happened to have some red pepper in the fridge, so I threw it in. 

2. Mix eggs with milk and olive oil in a separate bowl. Add flour and cheese together with the zucchini, onion and pancetta or ham and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.

3. Line a long bread tin with kitchen paper. Pour the mixture into the tin. Bake about 1 hour in 190 C. Test with a skewer before taking out from the oven, if it comes out clean the cake is ready.

This makes a great snack for a crowd - just cut in bitesized pieces and enjoy!