Courgette tart with Gorgonzola Dolce and lavender, in a rice crust

AICI – Associazione Insegnanti di Cucina Italiana

Recipe by Eleonora Caprio

(for 8 people) 200 g ‘Baldo’ or ‘Arborio’ rice 300 g Gorgonzola Dolce 500 g ‘novelle’ courgettes 6-8 courgette flowers 4 eggs 30 g toasted pine nuts 200 ml cream 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp edible lavender 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 14 minutes, strain and leave to cool on a large baking tray. Mix
100 g Gorgonzola and 2 well-beaten egg whites (keep the remaining egg yolks to one side) together with the cold rice. Line a cake tin (24 cm) with a sheet of baking paper, spread the rice mixture evenly over the top, carefully levelling it off with the help of a wet spoon. Place in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. Clean the courgettes, slice them and sauté in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil, the lavender and the herbes de Provence; season with salt and pepper. Toast the pine nuts in a small pan.
Whisk the eggs together with the cream and season with salt and pepper; add the courgettes and the remaining gorgonzola, cut into small pieces. Spread the egg and courgette mixture over the rice base, spread over the open flowers, forming a floral decoration and sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts. Cover the cake tin with some foil and cook in a ventilated oven at 180°C for around 45 minutes.