Pizza Rustica with Lynne

Double-Crusted Pie from Puglia Region of Italy

Nov 23, 2008

In this double-crust tart, a warm filling of onion, tomato, red wine vinegar, currants, olives and cheese make this pizza anything but run-of-the-mill fare.

This rich and hearty Pizza Rustica is a favorite in the Puglia region of Italy. Lynne Rossetto Kasper, author and host of the radio program "The Splendid Table®," offers this creation, a double-crusted savory pie. The pizza recipe, with its sweet and savory filling, originates from Rosalba Ciannamea of Puglia.

RECIPE

Pizza Rustica

Serves 6 as a light supper, 8 to 12 as an antipasto or first course

Ingredients:

2 rounds Pastry Dough (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium onions (2 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch dice
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 canned whole tomatoes, drained, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped medium-fine
1 tablespoon currants or raisins, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly saute the onions until they turn golden brown; season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until they reach a very thick consistency. Cool.
Set an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stir the vinegar into the onions; season with salt and pepper. Lift the pastry on the parchment paper off and set it aside. Remove the paper from the bottom pastry round and discard paper. Spread the onions over the bottom pastry round, leaving a 1 1/2-to-2-inch border all around. Sprinkle with the olives, currants or raisins, and cheese.
Brush the beaten egg over the border of the dough. Top with the reserved pastry round, sealing the edges. Trim the pastry to an even border, roll it up, and crimp. Brush the top of the pizza with the beaten egg and pierce the dough all over with the tines of a fork. Bake 1 hour, or until the crust is browned and crisp. Serve warm, cut into small diamonds (about 1 inch) as an antipasto, or larger pieces as a light supper.

Pastry Dough

Makes 2 rounds

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pan
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

Blend the flours, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Thoroughly blend in the butter and olive oil by processing the mixture for a few seconds, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle the water over the dough and blend in with several pulses of the machine. Process only until the dough is evenly moistened and holds together when you squeeze it. Turn the dough out, divide in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
Lightly grease a 14- to 16-inch pizza pan or large baking sheet with olive oil. Roll out one half of the pastry on a floured surface to a 14- to 16-inch round if using a pizza pan (or a 12- by 14-inch rectangle if using a baking sheet). The dough will be slightly less than 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to the pan and cover with two overlapping pieces of parchment paper. Roll out the remaining pastry and place on top of the first one. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

SPECIAL THANKS

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Radio host and author

Sally Swift

Producer

American Public Media

The Splendid Table®

480 Cedar Street

St. Paul, MN 55101

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

"The Splendid Table®" (William Morrow, 1992; $39.95)

"The Italian Country Table" (Scribner, 1999; $35)

Return to The Splendid Table® Italian Home Cooking with Lynne Rossetto Kasper

The copyright of the article Pizza Rustica with Lynne in Dinner Recipes is owned by Michael Vyskocil. Permission to republish Pizza Rustica with Lynne in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.