When rye and chickpea flours are combined, as in the crust for this tasty crostata, the texture is both toothsome and tender. It’s a nice partner for the savory-sweet filling of fontina, caramelized onions, prosciutto, and figs. Rye flour is quite absorbent, so the dough is refrigerated a couple times during the prep. Crostatas are often somewhat free form in shape and thus rustic in appearance.
See other related recipes in The Power of Alternative Flours
Yield: 6 portions
Prep time: about 45 minutes plus 2 hours unattended refrigeration
Shelf life: 3 to 4 days
Ingredients
Dough
⅔ cup chickpea flour
⅔ cup dark rye flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cream
1 teaspoon honey
4 ounces chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Filling
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
5 ounces thinly sliced onion
.2 ounces minced garlic
.1 ounce chopped fresh thyme
3 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
4 ounces dried black mission figs
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon milk or cream, to brush on crust
Preparation
- For the crust: In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the chickpea and rye flours and salt; pulse to blend. Add the butter and pulse into 1/4-inch pieces.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg, cream, and honey together; add to the flour mixture and pulse until the dough resembles coarse meal. Add the lemon juice and pulse a few more times until the dough starts to pull together. Turn onto a floured board and knead briefly into a disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
- On a floured workspace, parchment, or Silpat, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a jellyroll pan and refrigerate while preparing the filling.
- For the filling: In a large skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-high until hot. Add the onions, stirring to separate the pieces, and cook for about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté until the onions are golden, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the garlic and thyme and set aside to cool; toss with the cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator.
- In a food processor, chop the figs and prosciutto into small pieces; spread evenly over the crust, leaving about a 1 ½-inch border. Cover with the cheese-onion mixture and fold the crust over the filling, pleating the dough. Brush the dough with the egg mixture.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.
