Crostata rustica di porri e gorgonzola

This is one of my favourite savoury tarts ever. While baking, it will pervade your kitchen with an irresistible aroma, the good fragrance of the comfort food. I have made it so many times, changing, adjusting the recipe over and over, following the inspiration of the moment. Now I am settled on the last version, the more rustic and interesting one. I choose a light version of the classic pâte brisée: with some butter, but not too much, and some cool water. It is far away from the lightest Italian pasta matta (made almost without fat, adding water and just one or two tablespoon of oil). It is less dry, holds a slight butter flavour and it has a crispy texture given by the three different kinds of flours.

Of course you can change the butter with the oil, experiment with other different flours (maybe replacing the lentils flour with the more common chickpeas flour), I’m sure it will work pretty well anyway. 

I love to serve this tart as a starter, bit lukewarm, sliced in small squares and placed into a large wooden board, with some cheese and fresh Italian cold meats (prosciutto crudo, mortadella, soppressa, ecc), so my guests can grab a piece while they are drinking a glass of wine. 

Buon appetito :)

Crostata rustica di porri e gorgonzola

Leeks and gorgonzola rustic tart

24cm tart tin

Spelt and buckwheat pâte brisée 

    • 150gr spelt wholemeal flour

    • 60gr buckwheat flour

    • 30gr lentils flour

    • 50gr unsalted chilled butter

    • 3 tablespoons linseed

    • Cool water

    • Salt

Put the three different kind of flour, the linseed and the salt into a bowl and mix together. Add the butter in small cubes and rub the ingredients together with your fingertips, until form crumbs. Add some water, spoon after spoon, being careful to do not add too much, just enough to have all the ingredients together and work easily the dough. When the paste is formed, shape it into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Leeks and Gorgonzola filling

    • 2 big leeks, washed and sliced

    • 2 large eggs

    • 200ml double cream

    • 100gr Parmigiano Reggiano Dop (finely grated)

    • 100gr Gorgonzola Dolce Dop

    • Linseed

    • Extra virgin olive oil

    • Salt and pepper

Heat a tablespoon of extra virgin oil in a medium pan and add the leeks with a pinch of salt. Cook it gently over a medium-low heat until tender, set aside and cool down. Put the eggs and the cream into a bowl, add salt and pepper and whisk together. Add the leeks and the Parmigiano, mix together.

To assemble. Heat the oven to 200°. Butter the sides and the bottom of the tin tart, then cover the bottom with a small circle of parchment paper. Roll out your pastry until is the same shape of your tart tin. You can roll it between two sheets of parchment paper, or dust very well the work surface and the rolling pin with flower. The pastry should be not more than 2-3mm thin. Lift the pastry on the rolling pin and place it over your tin. Press it into the sides, cutting out the excess. Fill the pastry with the leeks stuffing, put on the top the gorgonzola cheese in small pieces and sprinkle with some linseed. Now have a fun with the decoration: I’ve made a simple one with laid strips. Bake it for about 30-40 minutes until crisp and golden.

Serve it lukewarm.