Zucchini Slice with bacon and corn

This is a recipe my mum always used to make when we were kids. Lately she’s been making it for my niece and nephew, who love it, and when she was over in Norway recently, she made it for Bubble’s first birthday party. It was very popular with the guests, several of whom have asked for the recipe, but most amusingly it was popular with the birthday girl. My tiny girl stuffed an entire piece into her mouth in one go, and somehow mushed it up enough to swallow, and then looked around for more. I then made it to take to her kindergarten summer party, where kids and parents alike tucked in with enthusiasm. It’s also a great way to get kids to eat vegetables (you can even use yellow zucchini to really hide the veggie content!).

So here it is;

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small zucchinis (courgettes, squash… whatever you want to call them)
• 1 onion
• 1 medium sized carrot
• 3 rashers of bacon (can be omitted for a vegetarian version)
• 1 cup of grated cheese (cheddar or similar)
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 1 cup of self-raising flour (or 1 cup plain flour + 1.5tsp baking powder)
• 5 eggs (lightly beaten)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Wash and grate the zucchini (skin on).

Peel and grate the carrot

Finely chop the onion and bacon

Combine zucchini, carrot, onion, bacon, cheese (reserving a small amount to sprinkle over the top) flour (and baking soda if you’re using it), eggs, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.

Mix together until everything is mixed evenly. If the mixture seems too wet, add more flour (up to a further half a cup) until you get a cake-dough type consistency.

Pour into a baking dish so that the mixture comes about 3cm up the sides. Make sure your dish has a little room for the slice to rise.

Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese evenly.

Bake in a 180°C oven for 30-40 minutes until the top is browned and a skewer or knife comes out clean.

Cool slightly before slicing into squares. Can be served hot or cold.

NOTE: You can add other ingredients such as sweet-corn, leek, mushroom, asparagus… and the bacon can be removed, or replaced with shredded cooked chicken, tuna or smoked fish, such as cod. Experiment!