Savory Carrot Crostata, a Vintage Recipe from La Cucina Italiana

I have long been a champion of carrots, that workhorse of the vegetable world. Here's what I wrote about them in The Glorious Vegetables of Italy:

"This underappreciated root finds its way into more recipes than any other vegetable I can think of ~ salads, soups, stews, braises, roasts, sides, even desserts and drinks! I am always happy to sing the praises of carrots, for their glorious color, their appealing crunch, their nutritional benefits, and their versatility."

Carrots are essential to Italian cooking. Minced finely with celery, onion, and parsley, they make what is known as a "battuto." When sauteed in olive oil, this mixture becomes a "soffritto," and forms the base of countless Italian dishes. In my cookbooks, I have sought to raise the carrot's profile beyond its role as a foundation vegetable by featuring it in recipes from the Roasted Carrot and Ricotta Gnocchi in The Glorious Pasta of Italy to the Carrots and Fennel in Agrodolce in Preserving Italy. The Carrot-Polenta Cake with Marsala from The Glorious Vegetables of Italy is probably one of the most popular recipes from any of my books.

Fall is an especially good time for carrots; they are piled up in bunches in the stands at local farmers' markets, their feathery green tops still attached. The other day, when I brought a particularly pretty bunch home, I got to thinking about why I love them so, and it struck me that my affection can be traced directly back to this savory carrot crostata, the recipe for which was published in a 1968 issue of La Cucina Italiana.

My mother was a subscriber for years, beginning in the late 1950s after she moved to the U.S. from Italy and married my father (whom she had met on a blind date in NYC, but that's another story). I don't know this for sure, but I suspect that receiving La Cucina Italiana in the mail each month, sitting at her New Jersey kitchen table and flipping through it and choosing recipes to make, made her feel more connected to her native Italy. She saved dozens of issues over the years and kept the ones she referred to most often close by on a kitchen shelf.

This elegant crostata graced our Thanksgiving table many times when I was growing up. Even as a young child I loved it, not only for its glorious color and pretty patterned design, but also for the fluffy, sweet-savory filling of puréed carrots seasoned with Parmigiano cheese and the sweet, slightly caramelized carrots on top. It was early evidence that vegetables, prepared the Italian way, could be the stars of the show. (Is it any wonder I went on to write a book called The Glorious Vegetables of Italy?)

Those of you who know my work well will remember that I paid tribute to this tart, not in Glorious Vegetables, but in Big Night In, published back in 2008. Even now, 11 years after that book was published and ~ yikes! ~ 51 years after that copy of La Cucina Italiana arrived in my mom's mailbox and the carrot crostata caught her eye, this vintage recipe seems utterly current.

In a happy coincidence, Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and I can't think of a better accompaniment to roast turkey than this stunning crostata. It will grace my table on November 28; I hope it will be on yours, too.

SAVORY CARROT CROSTATA
Makes one 11-inch crostata

Ingredients
For the dough:
1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 tablespoons ice-cold water

For the filling and decorative top:
2 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced or chopped
3 cups best-quality chicken broth, or more as needed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Make the dough: Measure the flour and salt into the work bowl of a food processor and pulse briefly to combine. Distribute the butter around the work bowl and process until the mixture is crumbly. Add just enough water through the feed tube to pulse the dough together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 14-inch circle. Carefully wrap the dough around the rolling pin and drape it over an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Gently press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Trim the overhang to 1/2 inch and fold it in, pressing it against the inside rim to reinforce the sides of the tart shell. Press around the perimeter with the palm of your hand to cut off any excess dough. Refrigerate the lined tart pan for 30 minutes.

3. Heat the oven to 400°F. Remove the tart pan from the refrigerator and line it with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for 10 minutes more, or until the crust is light golden. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool. Lower the oven heat to 375°F.

4. Make the filling: Set aside 1 pound of carrots (choose the most attractive). Cut the remaining 1 1/2 pounds into thick coins. Place the cut carrots in a large saucepan with the onion and just enough broth to cover, about 2 cups. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and gently cook the carrots for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Uncover and cook for another 10 to 20 minutes, until the carrots are very tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool for 20 minutes.

5. Transfer the cooked carrots to a stand blender and purée until smooth, adding a splash of broth if necessary to loosen the mixture. Scrape the purée into the saucepan and cook briefly on medium-low, stirring often, until the purée is thick and any liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the egg yolks and Parmigiano cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Make the top layer: Cut the remaining carrots into thin, uniform coins. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet or wide sauté pan placed over medium-low heat. When the butter has melted add the carrots and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Add a couple tablespoons of broth and toss gently. Cover and cook over medium-low to low heat for about 10 minutes, until just tender. Add another splash of broth if necessary to prevent the carrots from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and let cool.

7. Spread the carrot purée into the baked tart shell. Arrange the carrot coins on top of the purée in slightly overlapping concentric circles, beginning at the outer edge of the tart and ending in the center. Gently brush the top of the crostata with any liquid remaining in the pan in which the carrot coins were cooked and dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

8. Bake the crostata for about 20 minutes, until the filling is heated through and the top is lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the tart ring and, using a long wide metal spatula, carefully slide the crostata off the bottom metal disk onto a serving platter. Serve warm.

NOTE: The crostata dough may be made a day in advance and refrigerated. Let it come to cool room temperature before rolling out.