Curry vegan flan with zucchini

For 6-8 people

2 kg zucchini

250 g of tofu (natural)

1 large or 2 small shallots

4 tablespoons of curry powder

4 tablespoons of cickpea flour

salt

extra virgin olive oil

The flan is a French salty or sweet tart ,while in Italy consists in a casserole or a timbale, also salty or sweet, baked in the oven (or in a double boiler), using various types of molds and generally served with a sauce.

In this summer season our vegetable garden is producing many zucchini and so I thought I'd cook them like a tantalizing appetizer for a cheerful dinner with friends.

This dish is perfect both as an appetizer and a main course. These vegan flans served with a sauce or a vegetable paté and some cereal of your choice, also constitute a rich and unique complete main dish!

Chop the shallots and slice the zucchini into small cubes.

Sauté the shallots in a little oil in a large frying pan, then add the diced zucchini.

Season with salt and add the curry powder.

Cook over gentle flame until the zucchini begins to soften.
Add a few tablespoons of water if necessary during cooking, so the zucchini don't stick to the bottom of the pan; I didn't add water because it was not necessary since I had some large zucchini that had just the right amount of liquid while cooking.

Prepare the tofu by cutting it into small cubes to be crushed with the prongs of a fork.

Add it to the zucchini, add the chickpea flour (used to slightly thicken the mixture and even to give it that extra flavor twist !) diluted in water, just enough to get a thick batter.

Stir well and leave on the heat for a few minutes to mix all the flavors.

Turn off the heat and pour the zucchini in a blender or in a large bowl where you will pass with the immersion blender: at the end it should be a softand smooth dough.

Pour the mixture in the ramequins, special ceramic bowls, or into silicone moulds for the oven (in the photos you can see both presentations).

Bake at 180°C for 20-30 minutes, until the surface of the flan is lightly golden.

Remove the flan from the oven and serve the flans hot or warm directly into the ceramic ramequins or remove from the silicone molds when they are lukewarm or cold (if you do it when they are hot, the flans break).

Enjoy your meal!