Savoury Crostata

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4-6 as a snack/starter

Ingredients

100g spinach

Pinch of sea salt flakes

175g plain flour

80ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra 20ml for frying the spinach

50-60ml water

1 tsp sea salt flakes - here it says 1tsp but in method it says a pinch of salt. I used a large pinch.

8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved

120g goat’s cheese

5-6 thyme, sprigs

30-40g parmesan, grated, to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced). 

Place spinach, sea salt and olive oil into a small frypan on medium heat and place a lid on top. Let spinach wilt for 2-3 minutes before removing the lid and sauteing for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with sea salt. Add the olive oil and water, and mix with the back of a spoon or your hands until the mixture just pulls together into a soft dough. 

Roll the pastry out* on baking paper to no more than ½ cm thick. The edges will be very rustic and that’s ok. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the pastry evenly, then add the spinach and cherry tomatoes in between facing up. Carefully fold the edges in towards the middle, leaving a large opening in the middle so most of the tomatoes are exposed. 

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until the tomatoes are beginning to colour and the pastry is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 - 10 minutes on the baking tray before adding the thyme leaves stripped from their sprigs and grating parmesan generously over the top and slicing. Serve at room temperature.

*You can cover your pastry and refrigerate it if you prefer working with a cold dough. This can be easier for beginners but will require slightly longer cooking because it’s fridge-cold.