HEAVY CROSTATA

The tastiest and easiest dish to welcome spring is a crostata stuffed with fresh herbs, asparagus and cheese. Let your imagination guide you - any fresh vegetable will do!

For the crostata dough:

Cut the butter into small cubes and put them in the fridge. In the bowl of the KA Artisan Stand Mixer, using the flat beater, combine the flour, polenta, sugar and salt.

On low speed, add the cold butter and stir until the butter pieces are about the size of small peas. Now add the cold water and stir on low speed just until combined.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and quickly shape it into a disc about 15 cm in diameter. The trick to getting a flaky dough is not only to have the butter and water very cold, but also not to overwork the dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours (can be kept like this for several days). The dough must be very cold before rolling it out.

Fill and assemble:

Preheat your oven to 210°C and position the rack on rail 2.

Blanch the asparagus until al dente. Dry the asparagus. Thinly slice the onion and toast the pine nuts (if desired). Grate the parmesan and slice the bel paese and mozzarella or burrata. Finely chop the herbs.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 4mm thick. Put flour on both the rolling pin and the work surface. If you want to bake a 28 cm crostata, form a 30 cm disc and place this disc on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Sprinkle the dough with the grated parmesan. Then top it with the onions and herbs and top with the asparagus in a lattice pattern, followed by the burrata or mozzarella cheese and the bel paese (and pine nuts, if desired).

Lift 5-6 cm of pastry crust and pinch to form raised rim. Continue like this around the crostata, pinching the dough every 6 cm to raise it. Then fold the edge over the filling. Brush the folded edge with the beaten egg.

Place the crostata in the oven until the crust and filling are golden brown, about 35 minutes. Check the color after 20 minutes and cover the crostata with kitchen paper if it is already getting too dark. Let them cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with a salad and a glass of wine.