Rustic Ciambotta in Crust. When I think of my family’s recipes that over time, each year, in this season were repeated punctually with the colors and scents of every summer.
The rustic cuisine that bore the signature of the garden that gave fruits and aromas. Every day something different was cooked, and there were also the monotonous days when we needed to consume the abundance, but in the drawer remained the memories and scents of that time.
Memories are not a sign of aging or a burden of time; instead, they constitute the fabric of our identity, not just faded fragments of a more or less distant past.
And returning to our recipe, I remember that when this exquisite dish was prepared, it was a celebration; even today it must reflect certain characteristics. All ingredients were collected in the home garden, and only in certain weeks was everything available because the harvest followed a staggered schedule. Bull’s Horn Peppers, long eggplants, Tropea red onions, yellow-flesh potatoes, basil, and often a good dose of hot chili pepper. Then it was sealed in this crust which was baked in the wood-fired oven along with bread. Now I no longer have the wood-fired oven, but I try to recreate exactly the same aromas.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Fall
Ingredients
As written above: potatoes, peppers, eggplants, onions, tomatoes, and basil. A special and fragrant meeting
- 4 bull's horn peppers
- 4 eggplants
- 2 onions
- 4 potatoes
- 6 tomatoes
- 1 bunch basil (generous)
- to taste olive oil
- to taste salt
- 10.6 oz semolina flour
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- to taste water (warm)
- to taste salt
Tools Used
Mixing bowl, rolling pin, bowl, and cutting board for the vegetables, pan, and baking dish.
- Scales
- Towels
- Bowls
- Knives
- Rolling Pins
- Baking Dishes
- Cutting Boards
Steps
In the kitchen, it’s known that time is needed. But by organizing everything, we will be able to manage our resources better.
First of all, knead the ingredients for the crust, adding water gradually until you get a dough that’s firm but not too dry. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for about an hour.
Clean and chop all the vegetables into pieces not too small, keeping them separate. Sauté each one individually and finally combine them in the same pan; add the diced and peeled tomatoes, the basil, and finish cooking.
Roll out your dough and line a baking dish approximately 8-10 inches in diameter, fill with the ciambotta and cover with more dough.
You can use a single sheet or strips to decorate the surface.
Roll out the trimmings with the rolling pin, sprinkle them with sesame and poppy seeds, brush with olive oil, and bake; they will make excellent crackers
Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for about 40 minutes. If you like a shinier surface, brush with egg yolk before baking.
While waiting, the crackers are ready to enjoy.
Finally, so is your ciambotta in crust
A Few More Tips
Prepare the dough even a day in advance, closed in an airtight container, it doesn’t pose any problems, indeed, it gains elasticity. Wash and clean all the vegetables and then cut them in steps, while one cooks, the other is cut.
You can also make single servings or freeze and use later. This crust can be used with other fillings or to make baskets to present on the table.
