In Tuscany, schiacciata — which is pronounced skee-ah-CHA-tah and roughly means “crushed,” “flattened” or “squashed” — is a versatile word applied to a variety of breads and bread-like things, from a piece of sweet focaccia studded with roasted grapes around the autumn harvest to a savory situation that more closely resembles a panino and comes stuffed with your choice of cured meats and cheeses.

In this recipe from my cookbook “Stuzzichini,” instead of the flour-based, focaccia-like traditional schiacciata, the base is made of blended root vegetables that get a boost from baked-in cheese. There’s a slight tang from beets, an earthy sweetness from carrots, and balancing saltiness and chew from pecorino.

They can be served in small bites bursting with flavor on their own and make a colo

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