Genova Delicatessen zucchini torta

[Ruth Lafler]

The Genova Delicatessen in Oakland, CA makes something they call "torta" -- similar to a frittata but somewhat denser. They make two versions, one with zucchini and one with artichoke hearts, and they have passionate fans among East Bay hounds. I mentioned that my mother for many years tried to duplicate the recipe, and people asked me to post her results, so here goes:

1 lb. zucchini
1 medium onion, chopped
3 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Wash and trim zucchini; steam in hot salted water for 10 minutes; drain and cool. Saute onion in olive oil. Dice the cooked zucchini. Beat eggs and mix in bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Add zucchini and onions and mix well. Turn into greased 8x8 baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Cool well.

My mom was never very happy with this recipe -- although this was the result of some experimentation and tweaking, it didn't come close enough to the original. Looking at this recipe (which I've never made myself), 30+ years later, I see some possible explanations. For one thing, 30 years ago mom had never heard of EVOO, and parmesan was something that came in a green can. The finished product tends to leave oily spots on things, so I think there should be more olive oil, and that the zucchini is sauteed with the onions (you know how zucchini soaks up oil!). I'm thinking there should be some oregano in there, and that it probably makes a difference what kind of breadcrumbs you use -- mom probably used canned, but Genova probably uses fresh, in addition to EVOO and real parmesan. I assume (although it may be dangerous to do so) that the artichoke version is the same base, but with canned artichoke hearts.

I'm going to try this tonight and report back. Meanwhile, if anyone is familiar with this dish, please add your comments. Maybe the chowhound collective mind can solve the challenge that has obsessed many of us for years!

[Sarah]

I bought a couple of slabs of each for a brunchy birthday party -- they were a Big Hit!! Everyone asked for the recipe or where they were from -- so it seems well worth the time trying to perfect Genova's tasty recipe...good luck, all!

[Ruth Lafler]

Yeah, it's always a big hit, and so easy to just cut into small squares and put on a platter.

[oakjoan]

I bought some cold cuts and torta at Genova a couple of weeks ago so my husband and his friend would have something to eat at the Giants' game. I don't know how they can stand to be without garlic fries, but so it goes.

I hadn't had the artichoke torta for ages and found that I didn't much like it. Loved the zuke torta. I guess I'd never noticed that the artichokes were canned or frozen and had that weird taste I'd grown to dislike over the years. Luckily, I can still be happy with the zucchini.

Have you ever tried to make it using fresh artichokes? It'd be a pain to prep them given all the inedible parts. Sounds like it'd be worth it, though.

[Ruth Lafler]

I'm not crazy about the artichoke version, either. Since I haven't perfected the zucchini version, I haven't even thought about attempting the artichoke version (which would be naturally much drier).

[Becco]

It's been over a year since the last post so don't know if anyone is still reading this but I have wonderful memories from my time in Berkeley in the mid 60's - 70's of going into the old Genova and being overwhelmed by the aroma. I remember the torta actually being called torta rustica. Wow - what a flavor! They also made a minestrone so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. When my future in-laws came from NY to meet me I won them over by feeding them both torta & minestrone along with a huge plate of deli cold cuts, sour dough bread, white wine, etc., and that sealed the deal! I'm inspired to try Ruth's recipe or a tweaked version.

[Bambina]

I come from a Genovese family and here's our recipe for Zucchini & Artichoke Torta. We had this or some variation on the torta (spinach, sausage) for every get-together. Sometimes rice was also thrown into the mix for a heartier torta. Enjoy!

3-1/2 cups thinly sliced (unpeeled) zucchini
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
8 eggs
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/4 t. dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 cans (8.5 oz each) artichoke hearts, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute zucchini and onion together in butter until tender.

Meanwhile, break eggs into a large bowl, and whisk in next seven ingredients (pepper through bread crumbs). Add in artichoke hearts and pour entire mixture into 13x9 glass baking dish.

Bake one hour or until mixture is puffed up, firm, and with a golden brown top. Beyond yummy. :)

[Ruth Lafler]

Thanks so much for the recipe!

[chef chicklet]

My oldest son's GodMother is Genovese, her mom made my favorite and she too served it all the time. I'd drop in and she'd always have it ready! I always wondered how did she do that? But it was delicious, and thank you for your recipe, I will be trying it too!

[Bambina]

You're quite welcome! Here's a better pic. I'm a personal chef and make it all the time...Nonna would be proud her recipe is used so often...haha. :)

[Tedmom]

I made this yesterday for dinner and am having it for breakfast again this morning. It's really good. I also make Ruth's Genova II recipe above quite often and am glad to now have a second way to use up all the summer zucchini bounty.

[Sarah]

How many servings do you get from a 9x13 pan? It will be served w/bagels & cc and fruit salad.

[escargot3]

can this recipe be adapted to omit the breadcrumbs? any thoughts for the whole-grain diet?

[Ruth Lafler]

Of course you can leave out of the bread crumbs, but it won't be the same product -- it will be more of a frittata.

[chef chicklet]

Ruth or Joan,
My zucchini are about 2 weeks away from harvest and I am so excited to try this again.
I was wondering if perhaps, what I think is similar to the Genova Delicatessen's torta is different. I was wondering, do you have a photo of your torta so I could see what its suppose to look like? I really would love to get this down. I was not able to download the menu from their site ( only a fax sheet).

Perhaps you can look at what I made, and tell me if it is similar or completely off?
Thanks so much! sharon
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7220939@...

[Ruth Lafler]

That looks like you're getting close. The Genova torta is thicker and less crusty, so it's wetter. I see from your comments you didn't much care for it.

[chef chicklet]

Yes the addition of the grilled mushrooms was not a good idea. I mean it wasn't awful, just not the same. Actually after eating a couple pieces, I tasted a sweetness that I didn't care for.

[morwen]

In desperation to use our abundance of zucchini I made your "Take II" torte. Never had the Genova so we weren't comparing. It's great! There's now 8 tortes in the freezer along with several of my regular zucchini casseroles and we'll be looking forward to enjoying them this winter! Thanks!

[Ruth Lafler]

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

[a_and_w]

Many thanks for this recipe Ruth! Couple of quick questions as I find myself craving some artichoke fritattta from Genova. First, how many cans of artichokes do I use? Is it just 1lb. like the zucchini?

Also, I'm getting a little thrown by the references to "torta." I grew up eating the artichoke version and always ordered it as "frittata" at Genova. This caused some confusion when I grew up and ordered frittata elsewhere expecting to Genova's version but getting something more eggy. Are we talking about the same thing?

[Ruth Lafler]

The Genova calls it "torta" -- I think they probably just understood what you meant when you said "frittata."

I haven't tried to duplicate the artichoke, so your guess would be as good as mine. Off hand, I'd say the artichokes won't lose as much moisture, so you probably need slightly less to start with. And of course they don't need to be pre-salted, but I would want to get them as dry as possible, maybe roll them in a towel after draining and squeeze gently.

[a_and_w]

You're sure they call the artichoke "torta" as well? Weird. I'm incredulous only because I could swear I learned to call it "frittatta" at Genova as a small child. I'm talking at the little store by the Pussycat Theater before they moved to the bigger location. Like I said, I only realized much later that what Genova served wasn't standard frittatta. Regardless, thanks so much for the recipe and suggestions!

PS: I notice that the website for Genova Delicatessen & Ravioli Factory in Walnut Creek does indeed list "artichoke and zucchini torta." Is this place affiliated with the Genova Delicatessen on Telegraph? I know there is -- or used to be -- more than one Genova in the Bay Area that makes raviolis, so I may be getting confused.

http://www.genovadeli.net/

[JasmineG]

Yes, they definitely call the artichoke torta (artichoke is usually my torta of choice). I need to start experimenting with an artichoke recipe! I wonder if they use canned or frozen artichoke hearts?

[a_and_w]

My mind...it tricks me LOL! I'm going to give the recipe a shot with canned and will let you know how it turns out. Oh, and if anyone knows someplace I can get anything remotely similar to artichoke torta in LA please let me know!

[greggo988]

I'm sitting here in San Diego this morning and thinking about Genova's "Torta" (BTW - my Sicilian grandmother and Genovese godmother pronounced it "toor - tah" with the accent on the first syllable). Decided to look for a recipe. I grew up in Oakland and always try to stop by Genova on my way home and buy a slab of each. The delicatessen in San Diego is pathetic! I've been trying to duplicate it for 30 years with no luck. So thanks for the suggestions. I'll give em a try.

[blue room]

Very glad to have come across this thread--the hard work already done. I can tell it'll be good.

[chef chicklet]

i used your recipe all but that I changed the veggies, the wine and the cream.... and let me tell you, this turned out very yummy!!!!

It's been out of my circulation for a quite a while now and after tasting it again today I'll be putting this back into my appetizer repetoire. As an fyi, I happen to like this app better colder than room temperature by the way..
Be happy to post a picture or two in just a shake.

Thanks again Ruth, good call on this one!

[oakjoan]

The torta Ruth (o.p.) was talking about comes from Genova Deli on 51t and Telegraph in Oakland.

[oakjoan]

Well, Ruth, I made this (actually it was sort of this) last night and it was quite delicious but not the original Genoa torta.

One of the reasons was that I had only yellow crookneck squash and lots of it (CSA box). I also misread (or didn't pay attention) the recipe and shredded all the squash so I had no nice slices in mine.

Otherwise, I followed directions and even used crumbs from my homemade sourdough bread from Nancy Silverton's book. Very good. My husband loved it and took it off to work with him this morning.

I'll try this again with zukes and will pay more attention to the directions! Thanks for your sleuthing work on this great dish!

[Ruth Lafler]

Thanks, Joan! I made some this weekend, too -- I was too lazy to grate the parmagiano reggiano and used pre-grated "parmesan" from TJ's and it definitely wasn't the right flavor. I also experimented with an extra egg, and the texture wasn't right. So the "take two" recipe above is still the best approximation. I hate buying summer squash since it's so easy to grow, but I went a little overboard planting it (I have two regular zucchini plants, two "ball" zucchini plants, two crookneck squash plants and two pattypan squash plants, or approximately enough to feed the entire neighborhood), so I have plenty to tinker with.

[tartetatin]

I just tried your "take two" recipe Ruth, and it was delicious! I was a little uneasy about the consistency initially (I have never been to Gevova or eaten a zucchini torta), but resisted the urge to add an egg and threw it into the oven. We loved it - my kids (4 and 5) too! I can't wait to try it with artichokes. I was also wondering how a combo of zucchini and thinly sliced potato would work.

[vcavett]

Do add the potato - cooked and sliced. We have something very similar to this torta for dinner regularly and my favorite variation has both zucchini and potato (with onion). Although, if you do this, I'd also like to suggest marjoram in place of the basil - a good bit of the fresh stuff - it transforms the dish.

[chef chicklet]

I know, I did not make the the original Genova torte recipe, too bad I'd not had the pleasure. The recipe she posted for the torte, reminded me of the one at Lucca's in the 70's and early 80's. They seemed very similar and almost like the recipes that were circulating the Eastbay during those years.

Thought she might have been able to elaborate on the differences.

[chef chicklet]

This all sounded so good that I made a torta? or appetizer??
I didn't have enough zuchinni, so I cut the zucchini into planks, added about 6-7 fresh garlic cloves, cremini mushrooms and scallions all grilled. As they were grilling I salted and peppered. Added red pepper flakes and then chopped it all up. I was able to get about 2 1/2 cups of veggies. I added the cup of unseasoned bread crumbs, a splash of olive oil, two splashes of vermouth, and 1 splash of milk to the already beaten 4 eggs. A few more shakes of red pepper flakes, and then a 1/2 cup of grated parmesean.

Baking as I type.

Let's cross our fingers. I don't know what I'll get, but all this talk about the zucchini torta remided me of how much I loved it back then...

I'll forward a photo or two if I can.

Thanks Ruth, I had a tremendous amount of fun going back down memory lane today...

[chef chicklet]

Being from the Bay Area and living in the East Bay for 25 years, I recognize this appetizer. Hayward has a zucchini festival every August, and over the years I was able to gather quite a few different recipes. I think you're right, there is a recipe using oregano, and there are many other recipes out there.

However, here is one I do remember. This one in particular has fresh garlic, but you can take it or leave it. Instead of bread crumbs they used Bisquick.
I've only had this recipe and the zucchini fritta served as an appetizer, small little cubes about 2x2, never bigger.
The recipe:
3 cups of grated zucchini- squeeze the liquid out
1 onion finely chopped or a scallion or two
1 Cup Bisquick
Fresh parsley - Italian- 1 handful chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup parmesean finely grated
4 eggs beaten well.
red pepper flakes to your liking
Mix it all together until blended. Spread in an 8X8 buttered dish. Bake for 25 mins at 350 or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Personally, I would add garlic and red pepper flakes. Sometimes oregano or fresh basil
I've had this with scallions only,and also artichokes. Anyway you make it, its always a nice appetizer.

You could get this at Lucca's Deli in downtown Oakland on San Pablo Ave, (if I remember right) and many times we'd order our sandwiches, and have the fritta on the side or go over in the morning and buy a piece or two. I remember being pretty young, and thinking it was quiche.... haha! My Italian friend sure straightened me out. Her mom had made it for years, and we tried to copy her recipe. I swear she didn't give it all to us and I still to this day think there is white wine in it. In her case I don't know if she used bread crumbs or Bisquick...something tells me she did not use Bisquick.

[MazDee]

Once you work this out, will you do the same for the artichoke one? ;-) That always was my favorite, although I loved both.

[oakjoan]

Yes, Ruth, and bring some to us at our homes, please! Now that the heatwave is over, I'm going to try my hand. Zukes and summer squash have been showing up in my CSA box for the past few weeks.

I haven't had the artichoke one in quite a while and can't remember if they just use the canned/jarred artichokes?

[Cheesy Oysters]

I had my favorite artichoke frittata sandwich a few weeks back and I'd bet they were canned or frozen. I could be wrong but they have them year found so I assume that they aren't fresh. I'm not complaining - the Italians are pretty good with the canned or frozen stuff. They aren't marinated. I was deciding between BBs Fried Chix sandwich and the frittata and the frittata won out. I wonder what they use for their fried chokes.

[panevino]

Great! Let me know how it goes.... I've been using many more eggs in my recipe, but this has been the problem (too "eggy,")...

[Ruth Lafler]

Okay, here was what I did tonight:

1 lb. zucchini
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
3 eggs
1 cup fine breadcrumbs (made from frozen leftover baguette)
2 ounces grated Parmagiano Reggiano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

I sauteed the onion in 2 tbsp EVOO until soft, then added the zucchini and basil, covered it and let it cook over medium heat until the zucchini was tender. Then followed the recipe above. The proportions are still off slightly. I think I'd try it again with one more egg (I was using large eggs, and IIRC mom always buys extra large), and if I'm still not happy with it, maybe decrease the amount of zucchini. I think the basil was a step in the right direction flavor-wise. I snipped some fresh oregano, and then I looked at the big basil plant I bought a couple of days ago at TJ's and thought Genova = basil. Duh.

[WCchopper]

Have you tried a dry heat method of cooking the zucchini? I usually roast it in slices or halves and it has a great intensified, caramelized flavor. Of course it shrinks and loses the extr liquid before it goes into the final dish. Would that improve the proportions?

[toodie jane]

I was going to suggest some fresh herbs after looking at the OP's recipe above.

Anna Thomas does a zucchini quiche which has similar ingredients, and bakes it in a two crust pastry shell.

the filling:
2 T c grated parmesan
2 T c grated cheddar
1/2 c dry breadcrumbs
1 1/2 to 2 # fresh zucchini
2 eggs, separated
1 1/2 c sour cream
2 T ch chives
2 T flour
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
S&P
butter

Slice the zukes into 1/4" even slices. Boil in salted water for 5 minutes, drain and pat dry.

Separate the eggs. Beat egg yolks and sour cream, add flavorings. Beat whites w/ cr tartar till stiff but not dry, fold into egg yolk mixture.

Arrange a layer of zuke slices in pan, cover with a layer of egg mixture, repeat. Sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs. Dot w/butter and bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then at 325 for 40 minutes (based on a pie pan.You may need less/more cooking time in a different container)

Does this sound at all like the filling of the Genova dish?

[Ruth Lafler]

The Genova torta is very dense, not custardy and doesn't have a crust, so the ingredients don't look right. However, I'm thinking there may be something to that layering methodology. The dry roasting idea may have merit as well.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Have you done a recon mission, Ruth? Seriously, stop by Genova, buy a piece of zucchini torta, take it home, and see if checking out the finished product in your own kitchen doesn't help you decipher it. I'd try to help with brainstorming, but I'm afraid I'm not much good to you in the zucchini-cooking or proportion departments, because I only ever buy the artichoke version. But it's pretty well-packed with artichoke hearts.

[Ruth Lafler]

You know, it is "packed". In fact, I'm thinking the secret may be that some of the veggie is pureed and added to the egg/breadcrumb mixture. I'm going to try that tonight.

[missmasala]

i've never been to the genova bakery (live in NYC) but is it possible the zucchini is grated (shredded) for the torta. Most of the zucchini tortas I have seen used grated zucchini. grate and then leave salted in a colander, rinse and pat dry before sauteeing with the onion.
The grated zucchini would make a big difference to the texture.

[Ruth Lafler]

I think that's it: finely grated, salted and drained! I haven't had time to make another batch, but I'll try that this weekend.

[Ruth Lafler]

Okay, take two:

1 lb. zucchini
salt
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
fresh ground black pepper (about four grinds)
3 tbsp EVOO
4 eggs
1 cup fine breadcrumbs (made from leftover sourdough round)
2 ounces + 2 tbsp. grated Parmagiano Reggiano

Grate half the zucchini (I used a medium microplane); salt and set into a lined colander. Slice the remaining zucchini into thin (1/8- 1/4 inch) half rounds, salt and set in a strainer. Let the zucchini drain for about 20 minutes.

Heat one tablespoon of EVOO in a pan. Squeeze the excess water out of the grated zucchini and add it to the pan. Toss zucchini in the oil and then cook partly covered over low heat for five minutes or until just tender. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Add two tablespoons of EVOO to the pan, heat, add the onions and cook as above until tender; add the sliced zucchini, basil and pepper and continue cooking partially covered over low heat until tender. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350. Beat four eggs until foamy. Fold in 2 oz. of parmesan, then the cooked grated zucchini and the bread crumbs. Remove one cup of this mixture and reserve, then fold the zucchini-onion mixture into the remainder.

Oil an 8x8 baking dish. Spread half the reserved grated zucchini mixture in a thin layer on the bottom of the dish, then layer in the sliced zucchini-onion mixture, then smooth the remainder of the grated zucchini mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of parmesan and bake for abut 25 minutes or until a knife blade comes out clean. Cool until completely firmed and set.

Wow. This is really, really close. I think if I grated 3/4 of the zucchini it would be even closer. Salting and removing the water from the zucchini and replacing it with egg definitely got it closer to the right density. I might add a little more breadcrumbs, too, although IIRC the zucchini version is a little moister and softer than the artichoke version. Next time I'll have to buy some and do a side by side comparison.

Thank you all for your great suggestions!

[jlafler]

Yum. Thank you for taking on this project. I agree with you that duplicating the texture/density is the really tough part. And as you say, it should be saturated with enough oil to leave grease on the paper. Can't wait to try it!

[paulj]

I just made this recipe (not exactly, but close enough), using three small Mexican gray squashes. I chopped the basil along with the bread in a mini food processor. I was quite pleased with the result.

paulj

[aadragna]

Ok guys... I've found the "secret ingredients"!!! I doubled the above recipe + an extra 2 eggs and instead of using 2 cups of bread crumbs I used:

1 cup bread crumbs
3 cups of cubed french bread 3/4 inch cubes including crust.
Moisten the bread with water and squeeze out excess water by hand.
Instead of basil I used chopped parsley.
One more change, I used 2 ounces of parmesan and 2 ounces of Pecorino Romano.
Did not make the Zucchini though, made the Artichoke.
Steamed 2 large chokes and used a knife to scrape the leaves plus chopped the heart into 3/4 inch chunks. Then add 1 can unmarinated chopped hearts.
Mix it all together and bake as above. When just about done switch from bake to broil and lightly brown the top.

Enjoy!!!

[Ruth Lafler]

How funny that you pulled this old thread up today! I was just going to make this and pulled up the thread to retrieve my recipe (gotta keep up with the zucchini in the garden)!

[JasmineG]

That is so weird, *I* was going to pull this thread up today too! I made a version of it today with the zucchini: one sliced zucchini sauteed with onion, then one shredded and drained, I beat the shredded zucchini in with three medium eggs and some shredded parmesean, then baked it all in a small cast iron pan for about 20 minutes at 350. It was good, but I think it would have been perfect with one more shredded zucchini in there, and a little more shredded parm. I also added feta since I had it, which was good.

[Ruth Lafler]

Well, not so weird in that it's getting to be zucchini season!

[JasmineG]

I know, but it was so funny that I was eating it thinking "I have to search for that thread, to post about this in, hmm, what's the best way to find it?" and then I go to chowhound and it's popped up to the top. Great minds thinking alike :) Now I have to try your actual recipe and see how it compares. I definitely think that shredding some of the zucchini is the key to the right texture.

[cburnsi]

Thank you! Living in Seattle I miss the torta I grew up with from Genova's SO MUCH! I'm going to make this right now.
thanks.

[rcspott]

Ruth

Try a batch with dried Basil instead of fresh. Restaurant recipes can be suprisingly simple.

[Ruth Lafler]

You could be right, although they also make fresh pesto, so I know they have fresh basil around. But really, it's the texture that's proved hard to replicate, not the flavor.

[panevino]

I love all of the ideas! I started off making more of an artichoke frittatta...yummy, but too eggy to compete with the torta. I am going to try a new recipe this weekend based on some of the ideas here. I will keep you posted!

[oakjoan]

Re: Trader Joe's basil and Genoa's torta.

Ruth: How is that TJ basil. I didn't buy it because I had a couple of bad experiences (not THAT bad) with herbs and green onions from them - no taste at all). I suppose what I should have done was to pick off a little piece of leaf and taste it.

Also, re torta... I used to have a catering business in the mid 60s and we attempted to replicate the torta with mixed results. One time we had a wedding on top of Mt. Tam and the torta came out all wrong. So we went to Genoa and bought a bunch of it. It was a HUGE hit and they asked for the recipe. My partner hemmed and hawed and then said we'd send it to them. We never did and they never asked again.

This was almost a disaster job. They wanted an apple cake from their old family recipe, which turned out fine. The cream cheese frosting, however, cracked and brownish areas appeared on the edges. They looked really ugly and disgusting. I finally got some nasturtiums from my back yard and stuck them all over the cake tops.

Anyway, this brings back good and bad memories. Am trying the torta tonight.

[Ruth Lafler]

I've always been happy with the TJ's basil -- this is the second year I've bought the big basil plant.

I'll be interested to hear about your torta making experiences. Now that I think I'm close, I'm going to pick some up this weekend and do a side-by-side comparison. I think the breakthrough was salting the zucchini to remove excess water -- now it's just tweaking the proportions.

[ms. clicquot]

I have never had the original Genova torta but ever since I first saw this thread I've been craving what I imagine it's like! I look forward to seeing your final version and whipping up one for myself. It looks like the perfect spring lunch!

[JasmineG]

Ruth, how did your side by side comparison go? Have you done any more experimenting? I think I'm going to try one of your versions soon, with all the good zucchini coming into the markets.

[Ruth Lafler]

I was running around and didn't get to Genova. I did put together another batch where I grated 3/4 of the zucchini, and it was closer still. I actually dried out the zucchini more than I intended to (got busy doing something else while it was draining) and it came out very dense in not quite the right way. I'm still thinking it might need more breadcrumbs (and wetter zucchini than this batch).

[Ruth Lafler]

Finally did the side by side at my Mom's last night. The Genova version was a bit eggier than mine, and the zucchini was in larger pieces -- I think they probably grate a smaller proportion of it. However, my (possibly biased) family said they liked my version better.