Scarpaccia is a thin, rustic Italian zucchini flatbread popular in Tuscany and traditionally made during the summer when zucchini is in season. It’s simple to make, is best made ahead for ease of cutting and is served at room temperature.
The success of most zucchini recipes hinges on removing as much water from the zucchini as possible. Salting zucchini before cooking helps draw out excess moisture, preventing it from becoming soggy or limp when cooked. (This is particularly important when making zucchini bread.) This flatbread recipe alleviates the pressure to remove every excess drop of water by absorbing some of it with cornmeal.
Cooking to a deep dark brown and allowing the flatbread to cool completely before slicing are the keys to a toothsome scarpaccia. There’s not much gluten in the dough to hold it together; the primary binders are egg and cheese. It must cool to set before cutting.
The name “scarpaccia” translates to “old shoe,” referencing its browned appearance when baked thin and crispy. Served with a salad, it’s a great make-ahead lunch or dinner. And it makes for a fantastic, sturdy and portable nibble that’s perfect for a potluck. This dish was a huge hit at my neighborhood pool party, and is about to be your favorite new summer recipe.
Zucchini Scarpaccia
The cornmeal absorbs the zucchini water without making the flatbread gummy or dense. Use finely ground cornmeal, not self-rising cornmeal or cornbread mix, in this recipe.
I recommend using a mandolin to slice the zucchini and onion as thinly as possible.
- 1 medium zucchini, very thinly sliced
- 1/2 sweet onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
- 1 cup fine cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving some of the paper hanging over the sides.
- Place the zucchini, onion and salt in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the vegetables to release their liquid.
- After 15 minutes, transfer the zucchini-onion mixture to a clean kitchen towel. Tighten the bundle and squeeze the towel to wring out the liquid into a mixing bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup vegetable liquid and discard the remaining. Return the zucchini-onion mixture and the reserved vegetable liquid to the bowl.
- To the zucchini-onion mixture, add 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, cornmeal, flour, black pepper, red pepper flakes and eggs. Mix with a rubber spatula to combine. (The batter should be very thick.) Set aside to rehydrate the cornmeal, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Wet your hands and pat the mixture into a thin, even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.
- Bake in the oven until dark golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using the parchment paper as handles, transfer the flatbread on the parchment to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before removing from the paper and slicing.
- Serve at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Makes 16 pieces to serve 8.
Per (2-piece) serving: 180 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 8 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 57 milligrams cholesterol, 487 milligrams sodium.
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