The savory pie with zucchini, gorgonzola, and provolone is a very tasty, rich, and delicious rustic dish, perfect for a picnic, a homemade aperitif, or a buffet. It’s a very versatile recipe, not only because the filling can be customized with what we like or already have at home, but also because we can choose to use either wheat puff pastry or gluten-free, just like the one in the photo.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven, Grill
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 1 roll puff pastry (gluten-free also available)
- 14 oz grilled zucchini
- 7 oz provolone (semi-aged also available)
- 3.5 oz sweet gorgonzola
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Tools
- 1 Tart pan
Steps
Place half of the gorgonzola in a cup and mash it well with a fork to soften; this way it will be easier to spread inside the puff pastry without risking tearing it.
Slice the provolone very thinly and grate the table cheese.
To make this savory pie, I recommend using dry cheeses that do not release liquid (such as fresh provolone, mozzarella, fior di latte, etc.), to avoid ending up with soggy puff pastry. For this reason, I chose semi-aged provolone and gorgonzola (with mascarpone, in my case) for the filling. The zucchini in the filling, even if already cooked, will still release just the right amount of moisture, making the pie soft, moist enough, and pleasant to the palate.
The zucchini should not be seasoned or salted; the cheeses will flavor them just right during cooking.
Let’s start by grilling the zucchini. After washing and drying them, remove the non-edible waste parts and slice them lengthwise, not too thinly (about a couple of millimeters).
Heat a cast iron grill and grill the zucchini slices on both sides, without burning them. As the slices are grilled, if possible, place them on a rack to allow them to lose excess moisture.
Turn on the oven to 392°F. The puff pastry should be baked only when the oven has reached the temperature.
Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and transfer it along with its parchment paper into a 30-centimeter diameter tart pan.
Spread both the bottom and the inner edges with a part of the gorgonzola.
Arrange a portion of the zucchini on the bottom of the savory pie, trying not to overlap them.
Add some sliced provolone, pieces of gorgonzola, and a tablespoon of grated parmesan. Repeat this operation until all ingredients are used. Fold the edges of the puff pastry inward, finishing with a little coarsely grated provolone.
Immediately bake the savory pie at mid-height for about 20-22 minutes. Cooking times are based on my static gas oven with bottom heat only.
When the savory pie is cooked, turn off the oven and take it out immediately, letting it cool for 15 minutes to avoid crumbling.
With these quantities, we can get six portions or 10, depending on needs.
