Page 299 - Pie Squared

8 ounces (225 g) Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated (about 2 cups)

5 large eggs

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the crust: Heat the oven to 350°F; if you have one, place a
baking stone, Baking Steel, or inverted baking sheet on the center
rack to heat (see here).

Stir together the flour and salt in a large bowl with a table fork.
Whisk the olive oil and water with the same fork. (I do this right in the
measuring cup.) Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the oil
mixture. Using the fork, draw flour into the oil, turning the bowl at the
same time. Once the dough starts to come together, switch to using

your hands and gather the ball of dough and plop it into the slab pie
pan.
Pinch off pieces of dough and build up the sides of the crust first.

Make the edge about ¼ inch thick and as high as the sides of the
pan. Work all the way around, then use a metal measuring cup or
the heel of your hand to spread the remaining dough along the
bottom of the pan, about ⅛ inch thick. Blind bake the crust for 20
minutes; there is no need to pierce the dough or weight it. Leave the

oven on.
For the filling: Line a baking sheet with parchment to make
cleanup easier and scatter the bacon pieces in a single layer. Bake

the bacon for 20 to 30 minutes, until crisp. Transfer the crisped
bacon with a slotted spoon to a large, deep mixing bowl. Do not
obsess about removing the bacon fat. In this case, whatever small
amount clings to the crisped bacon flavors the filling.
Soak the whole zucchini in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes.

Trim the ends and use a spiral cutter to create long strands of
zucchini noodles. If you don’t have a spiral cutter, you can shred the
zucchini on the largest holes of a box grater, use the grating disk on

the food processor, peel swaths with a vegetable peeler, or use a
mandoline’s thick-julienne setting. I prefer the mandoline because