torta salata con carote e fromage blanc / savory carrot and fromage blanc tart

[cliccare il link per andare alla versione in italiano]

brilliant

Did you read Carrot Top (Pel di carota) by Jules Renard when you were a child? Published in 1894, the autobiographical story recounts the childhood and the trials of a red-headed child. I don't remember anything about the book, except that it made me want to have red hair (capelli rossi).

I was reminded of that episode from my childhood when, in the novel A Share in Death, author Deborah Crombie describes Gemma James as having red hair. This physical trait is one of the reasons I like that character of the mystery novels Crombie has written that have as protagonists Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Detective Inspector Gemma James.

My preference for mystery novels is not a novelty nor is my interest in Scotland Yard characters, having already read stories featuring Adam Dalgliesh and Thomas Lynley (by P.D. James and Elizabeth George, respectively). Whether set in London, one of my favorite cities, or in some charming corner of the English countryside, all these novels make for a pleasant, relaxing reading at the end of my often hectic day.

The Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James novels I have read so far are:

1. A Share in Death
2. All Shall Be Well
3. Leave the Grave Green
4. Mourn Not Your Dead

They all made me want to visit London and the English countryside again, and again drink tea and eat warm scones, admire the roses in Kew Garden, glide on a boat along the canals.

I am currently reading the fifth novel of the series, Dreaming of the Bones, but ever since reading the first one, I have had in mind to create a dish inspired by Gemma's hair. Fresh carrots in my CSA share were my other source of inspiration: I would make a tart with them.

smiling for the camera

Another thing I had in mind was to try a special dough from La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiare bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well), the seminal Italian cookbook Pellegrino Artusi self-published in 1891:

153. PASTA MATTA (CRAZY DOUGH) It is called crazy not because it is likely to do something mad, but for the simplicity and ease with which it can serve as the necessary dress for a variety of dishes, as you will see.

Sprinkle water and salt in due proportion over the flour and form a dough loaf that can be rolled out wafer thin. [source]

This is not the introduction, but the whole recipe. You'll see below how I used it to prepare the base of my tart.

freshly made and whipped fromage blanc

I wanted the filling to include some cheese. I thought creamy and light fromage blanc would work well, so I made a batch using half a gallon of whole milk and half a gallon of non-fat milk. This is an easy cheese to make: after you add the culture (this one is already measured and ready to be used), you leave the milk alone overnight and the morning after you drain the curd for some hours. A brief whipping with an electric beater and the light creamy cheese is ready to eat — as is, or flavored with herbs like chives or lovage (erba cipollina, levistico) — or use in some dish.

freckled crust

Flecks of bran in the whole-wheat pastry flour stone-ground from locally grown wheat in the dough give a lovely freckled appearance to the tart shell.

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for savory carrot and fromage blanc tart

Ingredients for the dough:

• 1 3/4 oz. / 50 g whole-wheat pastry flour, possibly stone-ground
• 1 3/4 oz. / 50 g 00 wheat flour (I used King Arthur Italian-style flour)
• 1 3/4 oz. / 50 g lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml EV olive oil
• A pinch of fine sea salt

Ingredients for the filling:

• 12 oz. / 340 g fresh carrots, possibly organic
• 2 teaspoons / 10 ml EV olive oil
• Leaves of several sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 3/4 oz. / 50 g spring onion or red onion from the new crop, clean weight
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• 1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 7 oz. / 200 g fromage blanc, possibly homemade

How to make the crazy dough
Make a dough with the ingredients and knead until nice and smooth, not sticky at all. Let it rest, well covered (e.g., wrapped in plastic film), for half an hour. 

How to prepare the carrots
Scrub carrots well and scrape surface with a blade to remove a thin layer of skin. Grate carrots using the extra-coarse side of a hand grater.

Finely chop the onion.

Heat olive oil in a skillet. (Alternatively, if you have an oil mister, coat well the bottom of the skillet.) Add onion and stir to coat. Add the thyme leaves and stir. After 1 minute, add the grated carrots and stir well to coat. Cook on gentle heat for a couple of minutes. Cover the skillet and continue cooking, stirring every now and then, until the carrots are tender, 10-12 minutes.  

Season carrots with salt and pepper and stir. Let cool while you roll the dough. 

How to prepare the oven
Right before rolling the dough, prepare the oven.

I baked the tart on terracotta tiles. I place two on a rack. A pizza stone will work as well. Whichever surface you use, place it in the cold oven.

You can also bake the tart on a regular baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 F / 177 C.

How to prepare the base and assemble the tart
Lightly dust with flour a piece of parchment paper about 13 inches / 33 cm wide. Working on the parchment paper placed over a working surface, roll the dough into an 11-inch / 28 cm diameter disk. 

Add the fromage blanc to the carrots and stir until distributed uniformly. Spread the carrot and cheese on the rolled dough to form an even layer, leaving a 1-inch / 2.5 cm border of clean dough all around.

Fold the uncovered border of dough over the filling and pleat it at regular intervals.

spreading the filling on the base

The final act
Slide the parchment paper with the assembled tart onto the tile or stone in the oven or on a baking sheet.

Bake approximately 32 minutes until the crust is crisp. Check after 30 minutes of baking.

Take out of the oven, cut and serve.

Serves 4-6.

Perfect!

The last time I made the tart, I baked it in the wood-fired oven (without the parchment paper): the photo above shows the result. 

I love this tart: the sweetness of carrots and the creaminess of fromage blanc blend well and the crazy dough offers a discreet and slightly rustic support to the duo. 

I am sure Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid would enjoy a slice of my tart as part of their dinner at the end of a long day, just as I enjoy reading about their adventures at the end of mine.

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This is my second contribution to the 21st edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started some time ago and that I continue to host. 

The roundup of the event.

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Carrots from my CSA share, homemade fromage blanc from local milk, local whole-wheat flour, onion from the farmers' market and thyme from my herb garden make my tart perfect for the Shop Local Food Blogging Challenge organized by Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.

 The roundup of the event.

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Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

torta salata con carote e fromage blanc

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tart, carrot, fromage-blanc, Italian cuisine

torta salata con carote e fromage blanc

una delizia carotosa

Avete letto Pel di carota di Jules Renard da bambini? Pubblicata nel 1894, è la storia autobiografica di un ragazzino coi capelli rossi. Non mi ricordo i dettagli, ma mi fece venire voglia di avere i capelli rossi. La cosa mi è tornata in mente quando ho letto che Gemma James, co-protagonista insieme a Duncan Kincaid di una serie di gialli scritti da Deborah Crombie ha i capelli rossi.

Non sono riuscita a stabilire con certezza che i romanzi della Crombie sono stati tradotti in italiano, quindi perdonatemi se non scrivo i titoli. Ho letto i primi quattro e sono alle prese col quinto. Mi hanno fatto venire nostalgia di Londra e della campagna inglese.

I capelli rossi di Gemma e la dose settimanale di carote nella mia cassettina sono state le muse ispiratrici di questa torta salata, insieme ad una ricetta dell'Artusi.

sorriso per la fotografa

153. PASTA MATTA
Si chiama matta non perché sia capace di qualche pazzia, ma per la semplicità colla quale si presta a far la parte di stival che manca in diversi piatti, come vedrete. Spegnete farina con acqua e sale in proporzione e formate un pane da potersi tirare a sfoglia col matterello.

Tutto qui. Vedrete in basso la mia interpretazione.

fromage blanc fresco e montato

Ho pensato che il fromage blanc, leggero e cremoso, sarebbe stato il compagno perfetto per le carote e quindi ne ho fatto un bel po' usando 1,9 litri di latte intero e 1,9 litri di latte scremato. Il fromage blanc, come altri formaggi freschi, è facile da fare in casa: dopo aver aggiunto i fermenti (questi sono pronti per l'uso), si lascia riposare il latte durante la notte e la mattina dopo si drena il caglio per alcune ore. Una passata con il battitore elettrico per montarlo leggermente e il formaggio è pronto da mangiare (al naturale oppure con l'aggiunta di erbe aromatiche fresche) o da usare come ingrediente.

pasta lentigginosa

Fiocchetti di crusca nella farina integrale macinata a pietra sembrano lentiggini sulla pasta base.

Ingredienti per la pasta base:

• 50 g farina per dolci integrale, possibilmente macinata a pietra
• 50 g farina 00
• 50 g acqua tiepida
• 5 ml olio EV d'oliva
• Un pizzico di sale fino

Ingredienti per il ripieno:

• 340 g carote, possibilmente bio
• 10 ml olio EV d'oliva
• 50 g cipollotto o cipolla rossa novella, peso netto
• Le foglie di diversi rametti di timo fresco
• 1/4 cucchiaino sale fino, o a piacere
• Un pizzico di pepe nero macinato fresco
• 200 g fromage blanc

Dose per 4-6 porzioni.

Preparare la pasta matta
Preparare un impasto con tutti gli ingredienti. Deve essere liscio e non appiccicoso. Farlo riposare, ben coperto (per esempio, avvolto in pellicola), per mezz'ora.

Preparare le carote
Lavare bene le carote e raschiarne la superficie con una lama per rimuovere la pellicina. Grattugiatele con la grattugia a buchi grossi.

Tritare il cipollotto (o cipolla).

Scaldare l'olio in una padella. Aggiungere il cipollotto e le foglioline di timo e mescolare bene. Dopo un minuto, aggiungere le carote e mescolare bene. Cuocere a fuoco dolce per un paio di minuti. Coprire la padella e continuare la cottura, mescolando di tanto in tanto, fino a quando le carote siano appena tenere, 10-12 minuti.

Condire le carote con sale e pepe e mescolare. Lasciar intiepidire mentre stendete a pasta.

Preparare il forno
Io cuocio la torta su delle mattonelle di terracotta. Ne metto due sul piano del forno. Una pietra da forno va bene lo stesso. Mettere il supporto scelto nel forno prima di accenderlo.

Potete anche cuocere la torata salata su una placca da forno.

Scaldare il forno a 177 C.

Stendere la pasta e preparare la torta
Infarinare leggeremente un pezzo di carta da forno largo circa 33 cm e stenderci sopra la pasta fino ad ottenere un disco di 28 cm di diametro. 

Aggiungere il fromage blanc alle carote e mescolare bene, poi distribuire il composto sulla pasta in modo uniforme, lasciando scoperto un bordo di 2,5 cm tutto intorno.

Ripiegare il bordo sopra il ripieno e fare delle pieghe ad intervalli regolari per spianare la pasta in eccesso.

distribuire il ripieno sulla pasta

Il finale
Trasferire la torta nel forno (o sulla placca e poi nel forno). La carta da forno facilita questo passaggio.

Cuocere per circa 32 minuti, fino a quando la crosta sia bella croccante. Controllare dopo 30 minuti di cottura. (Ogni forno è diverso e i tempi di cottura variano.)

Sfornare, tagliare e servire.

Perfetta!

L'ultima volta che ho fatto questa torta l'ho cotta nel forno a legna (senza la carta da forno) e la foto qui sopra fa vedere come è venuta. 

Adoro questa torta salata: carote dolci e formaggio cremoso si sposano bene e la pasta matta fornisce un supporto leggero e un po' rustico alla coppia.

Sono sicura che a Gemma James e Duncan Kincaid piacerebbe una fetta della mia torta per cena al termine di una lunga giornata di lavoro, proprio come a me piace leggere le loro avventure al termine della mia giornata.

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Questo è il mio secondo contributo alla ventunesima edizione di Novel Food, L'evento lettero-culinario che Lisa di Champaign Taste ed io abbiamo creato qualche tempo fa e che io continuo ad ospitare.

Il raccolto dell'evento.

 

 

 

 

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Comments

[Elizabeth]

What a wonderful recipe and accompanying story! I'm a red head and let me tell you growing up as a red head was hard work! I'm proud of it now (and wish it was a vibrant as it was in my youth - I think henna hair dye may be required in my old age!). Thank you for linking your delicious recipe up with #ShopLocal :)

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Elizabeth. Your comment reminded me that I tried using henna a few times and got my hair color to make a step in the "right" direction. Happy to participate: I believe strongly in shopping locally.

[Rachel @ The Crispy Cook]

That is a breathtaking overhead shot of that carrot tart. Just beautiful. I am working on a Novel Food post for you too, and a mystery is also involved. Stay tuned....

[Frank @Memorie di Angelina]

You know, I was an odd kid. Rarely read fiction and much preferred history. No wonder I wound up as a history major in college. In retrospect I now think I missed out on a lot of good reading, but at the time I wanted to read about stuff that actually happened, not a made-up story. With age I realized that fiction is real, too, just in a different way.

In any event, this crostata looks really tasty. Carrots are one of those under appreciated vegetables. They so often relegated to a supporting role, but they do deserve to be the 'star' once in a while!

[Simona Carini]

Thank you, Rachel. I will try and make a gluten-free version of the crazy dough. And I am looking forward to reading what you'll write for Novel Food.

What an interesting perspective on history and fiction, Frank! Thanks to my CSA share and its weekly dose of fresh carrots, I have developed a nice set of recipes for this vegetable, which, I agree with you, is underappreciated. My mother used carrot only in soffritto or to make broth, so I grew up with a skewed view of it. I am determined to right the wrong.

[diary of a tomato]

Beautiful tart, and thanks for the info on crazy dough! Similar to what I used for a Ligurian torta verde, more like a pasta dough.

[Simona Carini]

Indeed, Debra, it is a kind of pasta dough. It's so easy to put together and roll! I can't wait to come up with other fillings.

[Deb in Hawaii]

OK, you have given me yet another mystery series to look into. ;-) I love the mood they conjure up for you of warm scones and tea in the countryside. Your tart is so beautiful--such great color!

Thanks for another great round of Novel Food.

[Simona Carini]

I do indeed have a soft spot for warm scones and tea ;) Glad you like the tart.