Gluten-free, no-crust zucchini pie

A few months ago, I was advised by my doctor to try going gluten-free for three months to see if it would help me clear up some minor health issues I'd been dealing with. For someone like me who grew up with Greek food and thought I was covered by still following the Mediterranean Diet into adulthood, cutting out gluten seemed like a really big deal! I just love bread and Greek pites and pasta and tarts and all that yummy stuff, but since I realized I was reacting to something in my diet, I thought I'd give it a try. 

Savory pies, pites, are such a big part of Greek food cuisine that I always thought there was a funny parallel to the American passion for sweet pies. We have the same heated debates on how to make the crust, with any cook worth their salt convinced that their recipe is the best. Luckily, though, I remembered a friend's recipe for a crustless savory pie and Eleftheria, our Marketing Director, had also shared a similar filo-free pie with pumpkin and sour trahana. The trahana got me thinking that I could use grits to substitute the cup of flour that my friend used in her crustless zucchini pie, so I decided to play.

The result is definitely worth writing about! This savory tart came out so tasty and fragrant, thanks to the potent 15 Greek Herbs & Spices from Sparoza that I used, and a few leaves of fresh mint from my garden. I can't wait to make it again with my garden-fresh squash - give it a try yourself and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients

5-6 medium sized fresh zucchini (about 3 lbs.)

5 eggs 

2 6oz. tubs of crumbled Greek feta cheese

1 15 oz. tub of ricotta or cream cheese

1/2 cup of corn grits or polenta

5-6 scallions, thinly sliced

3 tbsp thinly chopped fresh mint 

1 tbsp Sparoza 15 Greek Herbs & Spices

1/3 cup of Philippos Hellenic Goods extra virgin olive oil or Tragano Greek Organics EVOO

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Coarsely grate the zucchini on your mandolin or box grater. Place in a colander, salt and set aside for 15-20 minutes to drain.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350F.

Oil a 12x9 inch pan and sprinkle generously with approximately 1/3 of the grits/polenta.

Combine the remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Then squeeze the zucchini with your hands to get rid of excess water and add to the mixture. 

Mix well so that all the ingredients are well coated. You can taste for salt and add more if needed as well as some pepper.

Place into the baking dish, evening out the surface with a spatula.

Bake 40-45 minutes until the top is golden.

Let it cool and enjoy as a starter or as a main course - it's even better the next day, warm or cold!