how to bake: zucchini slice

Summers past seem different to the summers we have now.

They were hotter- or so it seemed.

Air conditioning changed all of that. Thankfully.

One thing hasn’t changed- those nights that are so warm that despite climate control, the idea of eating anything that hasn’t come straight from fridge to table seems incomprehensible.

I remember those meals as a child- it usually involved some sort of cold meat and salad.

Another summer staple was zucchini slice and salad.

It’s still a fixture on our summer table. The salad is often a little more interesting than the iceberg lettuce, cucumber and tomato that Mum served up… but sometimes it’s not.

Sometimes it would be accompanied with some of Mum’s tomato chutney, but sometimes not.

It’s also an easy go to for large gatherings- such as today. I served it cut very small as part of the “befores.”

As we had some guests who are lactose intolerant today, I used lactose free cheese. It’s not nearly as yummy as the real tasty cheese, but works.

So, here’s the recipe.

What you need:

• 375g grated zucchini. This is about 2 good size zucchinis.  I often mix this up a bit with a grated carrot if there are any in the fridge. Don’t be too precious.
• 1 large onion, finely diced.
• 3 rashers of bacon, finely diced. If you have vegetarians at the table, leave this out.
• 1 cup grated cheese. Again don’t be too precious with the measurements. Make sure you have some more to sprinkle over the top.
• 1 cup self raising flour (I also often add a pinch or so of dried chilli or chilli powder to the flour)
• ½ cup vegetable oil. I use rice bran or olive oil.
• 5 eggs, whisked gently
• salt, pepper

What you do with it:

• Combine the zucchini, onion, bacon and flour in a large bowl.
• Stir in the cheese.
• Mix in the eggs and oil until everything is well combined
• Season as required
• Pour into a greased lamington tin.
• Sprinkle over the extra cheese

Bake in for 30-40 minutes in an oven that you have thoughtfully pre-heated to about 175C.

It’ll be ready when it’s all golden and bubbly on the top.

Let cool in the tin before turning out and cutting into squares.