Savory Holiday Crostata
About the recipe
This savory bean and vegetable-filled crostata (a.k.a. free-form pie) from reader Billie August Fasulo was a holiday recipe contest winner in 2018.
Serves: 6 to 8
Hands On Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours and 55 minutes
Ingredients
Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
1 cup vegetable shortening, vegan butter or butter, chilled
White Bean Puree
1 1/2 (14.5-ounce) cans white beans
1/2 cup veggie broth
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Mushrooms
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Leeks
1 leek, white parts only, sliced thin (about 1/8 inch rings)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Swiss Chard
1 (10-ounce) bunch Swiss chard, leafy parts only
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Finishing
1 (8- to 10-ounce) sweet potato, peeled and sliced thin (about 1/8 to 1/16 inch)
3 teaspoons pistachios, chopped fine
Instructions
For the crust, mix together all ingredients except shortening. Add shortening and, using your hands, incorporate until there are flour mixture pieces the size of small peas. Add in ice water one tablespoon at a time until a nice dough forms. Knead dough 2 or 3 times just to get all ingredients together, then wrap and chill until ready to use. (Can be done in advance.)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking stone or circular baking sheet with a circle of parchment paper cut to fit.
Roll out chilled dough to approximately 18 inches in diameter; transfer carefully to prepared pan. Don’t worry if it drapes over slightly, it will get folded in later.
Pulse all of the white bean puree ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth (can be made in advance). Spread half the puree onto the crust, leaving about 2 inches all around.
Saute mushroom ingredients over medium heat until browned soft, about 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly and pulse in food processor until crumbled but not a paste (can be made in advance). Spread mushroom mixture evenly on top of puree, to the edge of the puree.
Saute leek ingredients (can use same pan as mushrooms) until soft and slightly translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Top mushroom puree with leeks, spreading evenly to the edge of the two layers.
In the same pan used for the leeks, heat oil, add garlic and saute until fragrant. Add chard and salt and saute until wilted. Cool and squeeze excess juice out. Set aside until ready to use.
Fan out sliced sweet potato all over the layers, leaving not too much space in between, so it will cook evenly. Spread remaining half of white bean puree over sweet potatoes. Place wilted Swiss chard over final layer of puree.
Fold over remaining 2 inches of unfilled crust, overlapping layers of filling. Sprinkle crushed pistachios in center of crostata. Brush outer crust only with a little olive oil.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until browned and sweet potatoes are cooked through. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Transfer carefully to serving tray for slicing and serving.