The French would call this a flan, I suppose, but this is a rustic Balkan dish —called mamaliga in some parts of mainland Greece. It uses cornmeal as thickener for the grated zucchini or squash, and has just two eggs, and no cream.
8 to 10 appetizer portions
2 pounds zucchini or squash, coarsely grated
salt
1 cup chopped onion
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
Freshly ground pepper or Aleppo pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 medium tomatoes thinly sliced (optional)
3-4 tablespoons grated kefalotyri or Pecorino
2-3 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs, or sunflower seeds
Toss the zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and let wilt in a colander for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200 C).
Press the zucchini to extract most of their juices and transfer to a large bowl. Add the onion, the cheese, the cornmeal, plenty of pepper, the mint, and the eggs, one at a time, mixing well with a good spatula. Add the olive oil and mix once more.
Lay a piece of parchment paper on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Pour in the zucchini mixture and even the surface with a spatula. If you like, lay the tomato slices on top, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with bread crumbs, or with grated cheese and sunflower seeds.
Bake for 10 minutes and lower the oven temperature to 375°F (200 C). Bake 25-30 minutes, or until set and golden brown on top. Let cool and cut into bite-size pieces to serve warm or room temperature.
