Scarpaccia is a crunchy polenta flatbread that makes clever use of seasonal courgettes and other summery toppings
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nyone who has ever grown courgettes will know that, come peak season, you have to get inventive with the abundance and come up with new ways to use them before they turn to marrows or perish and melt back into the soil. One fabulous way to cook up a glut is scarpaccia, an Italian classic that’s similar to farinata and a distant cousin of pizza. Thinly sliced courgettes are degorged by tossing them in sea salt to extract their juices, then, true to Italian thrift, the flavourful liquid is used to make a batter that’s then reunited with the courgettes before baking into a thin, crisp slice.
Zucchini or courgettes are a type of summer squash that grows so prolifically that even the most amateur horticulturist, such as myself, is often inundated with a cash crop of long green gourds. The leaves, stems and flowers are all edible (the greenery can be used like any other leafy green – it’s wonderful simply sauteed with garlic, lemon and nutmeg).
Those who don’t have the luxury of growing their own still benefit from the seasonal abundance, however, because the price of courgettes drops to much more affordable levels, even at the most affluent of farmers’ markets. When I was growing up in Dorset, I remember seeing baskets of the things on garden walls, just left out in return for a donation of a few pennies.
