Summer Vegetable Torte

My first week as regional coordinator. I am learning to see the library system from above rather than from within, and the view is both illuminating and disorienting. Where I once saw my branch — its patrons, its shelves, its particular character — I now see six branches, each one a village with its own culture, its own needs, its own politics. The North Charleston branch needs renovated children's section. The Mount Pleasant branch has a staffing shortage. The downtown branch — my former home — is running beautifully under Priya, who sends me daily updates I try not to read too carefully because the urge to interfere is the same urge that made me a good branch manager and would make me a terrible regional coordinator.

James is working at the bookstore again for the summer — full-time now, Mr. Haworth's right hand, a senior bookseller at seventeen who recommends novels with the authority of someone who has read them all and the enthusiasm of someone who still can't believe he gets paid to talk about books. He is saving for college — a fact that makes Robert proud (the saving) and me emotional (the leaving).

Carrie is volunteering at the library three mornings a week, shelving books in the children's section with the organizational intensity she brings to everything. She has also started reading "The Tale of Genji" in translation and reports that it is "long and beautiful and confusing," which is the most accurate review of Genji I have ever heard.

I drove to Beaufort on Saturday. The visit was uneventful, which is the best kind of Beaufort visit. Mama was cooking — catfish stew, the thick, tomato-based stew that she learned from her own mother and that tastes like the river and the earth and the particular patience of Black women in the Lowcountry who have been making something from nothing for generations. Joy helped by stirring, which she does with such serious concentration that watching her is like watching a conductor lead an orchestra: total commitment, complete absorption.

I made catfish stew when I got home — Mama's recipe, from the card I wrote last month. The card worked. The stew tasted right. Not exactly like Mama's — no translation is perfect — but close enough that closing my eyes and tasting it, I could be in the Beaufort kitchen. The cards are working. The project is working. The recipes are surviving their translation, and that is all I can ask.

The catfish stew card worked, and something about watching it come together — layer by layer, patience by patience — made me want to lean further into that same spirit with the week’s cooking. A Summer Vegetable Torte asks you to slow down the same way Mama’s kitchen always does: to respect each component, to trust the process, to believe that careful layering produces something greater than the sum of its parts. After a week of trying to hold six branches in my head at once, there was something quietly steadying about a dish that rewards exactly that kind of deliberate attention.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust (or homemade single-crust pastry)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 medium heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick, patted dry
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan or deep-dish pie plate. Fit the pie crust into the pan, pressing it up the sides about 1 inch. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Salt the vegetables. Arrange zucchini and yellow squash slices on a paper towel—lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit 10 minutes to draw out moisture, then pat dry. Do the same with the tomato slices.
Sauté the aromatics. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Mix the cheese layer. In a bowl, stir together ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using until smooth and well combined.
Assemble the torte. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared crust. Layer the sautéed onion and pepper mixture over the ricotta. Arrange zucchini and squash slices in overlapping concentric circles over the onion layer. Top with tomato slices, slightly overlapping. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Bake. Bake at 375°F for 50–55 minutes, until the crust is golden and the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized at the edges. If the crust edges brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
Rest and serve. Allow the torte to rest for at least 15 minutes before releasing the springform or slicing. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Summer Vegetable Torte — Layers of Care, Straight from the Lowcountry Garden