Man, lemme tell you about this thing I whipped up the other day, this Facade Tarto. Sounds fancy, right? Nah, not really. It was actually one of those “I got these random bits in the fridge, what can I do?” situations. My buddy Dave, he keeps talking about his grandma’s Tarto, but never really says what it is, just that it’s “layered” and “looks complicated.” So, I thought, alright, I’ll make my own damn version, my “Facade” Tarto, you know, making it look like a big deal when it’s just stuff I threw together.
So, where’d I even start? I just started digging around. Found some leftover pastry dough I had frozen from god knows when, probably three months back. Knew I had to use that up. Then, poked around the veg drawer. Saw a half onion, some sad-looking bell peppers – one red, one yellow, kinda wrinkly. And a few slices of ham that were getting close to their expiration date. Perfect. And cheese, always gotta have cheese. I had a block of cheddar that was just sitting there, begging to be grated.
First thing I did was take that dough out and let it chill on the counter, just to warm up a bit so it wasn’t a brick. While that was happening, I grabbed the onion, gave it a good peel, and just roughly chopped it up. Didn’t go for tiny, perfect dices, just chunked it. Same with the bell peppers; just sliced ’em open, got rid of the seeds, and kinda cut ’em into strips, not too thin, not too thick. Then, the ham. Just chopped that into little squares, easy peasy.
Next up, I got a pan hot on the stove with a glug of olive oil. Threw the onions in first, let ’em soften up a bit, get that smell going. Then came the peppers. Stirred them around with the onions until they weren’t so crunchy, you know? Just a few minutes. Finally, tossed in the ham. Didn’t need to cook it, just warm it through and get it mingling with the other stuff. Hit it with some salt and pepper, nothing fancy, just a good pinch of each. Once that was done, I took the pan off the heat and let that mix cool down a bit. You don’t want to put piping hot stuff on your dough, trust me.
Alright, dough time. I had a round pie dish, so I just rolled out that pastry dough best I could. It wasn’t perfectly round, more like an oval-ish blob, but who cares, right? Pressed it into the dish, made sure to get it up the sides a bit. Trimmed off the super excess, but left a little overhang, thinking maybe I’d fold it over. Then, I grabbed a fork and just poked the bottom of the dough all over. Heard that helps it not puff up too much. No idea if it’s true, but I always do it.
Then, the layering began. This is where the “Facade” part really comes in, making it look like I knew what I was doing. I spread a thin layer of some tomato paste I found in a tube – just a smidge, didn’t want it too saucy. Then, I started piling on that onion, pepper, and ham mix. Just spooned it in, spread it out kinda even. Didn’t make it too thick. After that, I grabbed that block of cheddar. And just grated a thick layer of cheese right over the top of the veg. No holding back there. Cheese makes everything better.
With everything piled up, I looked at the overhang of dough. Thought about trying to braid it or something, but honestly, I’m not that fancy. So, I just kinda folded the edges inward, roughly pinching them to make a sort of rustic crust. Didn’t look professional, looked like I made it, which was the point. Then, for a final touch, I just cracked an egg in a small bowl, whisked it up with a fork, and brushed it over the crust part. It gives it that nice golden shine, you know?
Oven was preheated to around 375°F (about 190°C), just a guess really, for a pie kinda thing. Shoved the dish in there. Set a timer for 30 minutes, figuring that’d be a good start. After 30, it looked pretty good, crust was golden brown, cheese was bubbly and melty. But I thought, maybe another ten just to be sure the dough was cooked through. Pulled it out after a total of 40 minutes. It looked damn good. The cheese had a nice golden crust on top, the filling was bubbling slightly, and the crust was perfectly browned.
Let it cool for a good fifteen minutes before I even thought about cutting into it. Couldn’t wait, though. Sliced out a piece, and yeah, it held together. The layers were there, the bottom crust was cooked, not soggy at all. Took a bite, and man, it was just good comfort food. Savory, cheesy, a bit of sweetness from the peppers. Just solid. My DIY “Facade Tarto.” Didn’t need a fancy recipe or anything, just some leftovers and a bit of guesswork. Tasted like success, if you ask me.
