Kourkouto With Zucchini (κουρκούτo με κολοκυθάκια)

Despite being a ten hour plane ride away from Greece, technology and media has brought the world (and myself) closer to our respective homelands.

I measure the pulse of Greek food through the internet, Greek magazines, word of mouth, frequent visits to Greece and through the miracle of satellite TV.

Today, I caught a morning Greek show and I was fortunate enough to catch the cooking segment, hosted by Chef Dina Nikolaou.

Today she featured a dish that I suppose one could call a "cheater's pita" as there's no phyllo involved yet the ingredients and flavour would mimic one.

In reality, this is somewhere between a quiche and a frittata, utilizing Greek ingredients to offer up a flavourful, light main course for lunch. Serve this with a side salad and consider lunch served.

The dish's title contains the word Kourkouto (from Kourkouti), which means a "batter" and a major component of the dish is flour. This dish is easy, it's Greek, you won't freak out about how to handle phyllo and it's wonderful hot or cold.

In the ingredient's list, the two cheeses used are Feta and Kasseri.
The name Kasseri is also a protected designation name (PDO) and it's a mild, sheep's or goat's milk cheddar. Many Greek markets and delis carry Kasseri. If you can't find it, a mild cheddar would do just fine here.

Kourkouto With Zucchini (κουρκούτo με κολοκυθάκια)

5 large eggs
1 cup of strained Greek yogurt
1 cup of self-rising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup olive oil
3 bunches of scallions, finely chopped 3 zucchinis, diced
1 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup Kasseri, grated
1 cup of chopped fresh dill
ground pepper to taste
sweet paprika to taste (and for garnish) slices of zucchini rounds (for finishing)
a 15" X 10" baking tray, greased with vegetable oil

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Into a large skillet, add your olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add your chopped onions and diced zucchini (with some salt) and saute over medium heat for about 20 minutes to soften and have most of the water content evaporate (should reduce to about half). Take off the heat and reserve.
2. In a large bowl, whisk your eggs for a couple of minutes until mixed well and then add your flour and baking powder and mix in. Add your yogurt and stir in to mix.
   
3. Now add your grated cheeses and sauteed vegetables and mix to incorporate. Add some ground black pepper and sweet paprika. Have a taste and adjust seasoning (probably will not need any salt).
4. Stir in the the chopped fresh dill and pour the mixture into your greased baking dish.
5. Top with round slices of zucchini and sprinkle some sweet paprika over the entire mixture.
6. Place on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven and baked for approx. 1 hour.
   
7. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes and then cut up into slices.
8. Serve warm or room temperature with a side salad.
   

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