Torta Pasqualina
Time for another round of Cucina Conversations! Since this month's theme is Easter we're posting a little earlier than usual, just in case you're looking for inspiration for your menu this April 16th.
With no further ado, here are the other Easter-themed recipes prepared by my fellow Cucina Conversations bloggers:
Daniela of La Dani Gourmet is sharing her recipe Torta coi Bischeri, or a pie with a chocolate and rice filling;
Carmen at The Heirloom Chronicles has baked up one of my very, very favorite snacks in the whole wide world -- taralli all'uovo;
Flavia from Flavia's Flavors is sharing a recipe for focaccia veneta;
Last but not least Marialuisa over at Marmellata di Cipolle has made pitta chijna, a Calabrian specialty for Easter.
Lisa aka Italian Kiwi has a recipe to still be announced -- check back for that soon!;
My contribution for this month is the traditional Easter Torta Pasqualina, a savory pie that comes from Genova. I'm no stranger to savory, veggie-and-cheese pies (like this Butternut Squash Galette, this Three-Cheese Zucchini Tart, and this Cherry Tomato Crostata) finding them splendidly versatile, as at home showcasing seasonal ingredients as they are accommodating whatever you happen to have in your fridge. And let's be honest -- a vegetable is always, always improved by the addition of cheese (the more, the better) and a pastry crust, right?! That's what I thought.
In the course of my Torta Pasqualina research I came across recipes using artichokes, chard, or even beets, recipes for torte made with homemade pastry crusts, others with store-bought crusts for the cook short on time, plus a particularly fancy, tiered torta with 3 layers and different pie crusts dividing them. In the end, I decided to keep things simple and stick with the more traditional version of the Torta Pasqualina, or rather: a fluffy ricotta filling, mixed with lots of spinach for color and an arguable dose of nutrition (this is basically health food, people) generous helpings of salty rich Parmesan and Pecorino cheese, and, best and prettiest of all, four whole eggs baked right into the top of the pie, bright golden yellow like a circle of miniature suns. This dish is as beautiful as it is tasty, and would be perfect for an Easter brunch, as a starter, or as a hearty alternative for vegetarians who won't be eating the usual Easter lamb or ham. Bonus: This makes great leftovers (if it lasts) and beyond Easter, makes fantastic, portable picnic food (especially if you are celebrating Pasquetta on Monday). I loved this and I think you will too.
A couple ofnotes: This recipe is fairly flexible. Substitute chard for the spinach, or any kind of green you want. You can use just Pecorino or just Parmesan if you don't want to buy two types of cheese. If you're short on time, feel free to use a pre-made pie crust instead of the homemade crust below. Note that you'll have some leftover pie crust recipe using either recipe -- use the scraps to cut out decorations for the top of the pie if you're feeling creative.
For more brunch recipes, click here. For more savory pies, click here.
TORTA PASQUALINA
Serves 6.
Ingredients for the pastry:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon (a heaping 1/4 teaspoon, or about 2 grams) salt
10 tablespoons (140 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced
4 tablespoons (60 grams) plain full-fat yogurt
2 teaspoons (10ml) white wine vinegar or lemon juice
3 tablespoons (45 ml) very cold water
1 beaten egg (for egg wash)
Ingredients for the filling:
A little over 1 pound (500 grams) spinach
1 generous cup (250 grams) ricotta cheese
1 ½ ounce piece (42 grams) Pecorino cheese
1 ½ ounce piece (42 grams) Parmesan cheese
5 medium eggs
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
Pepper to taste
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, vinegar or lemon juice, and water, and set aside. Next, in a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut them up and into the flour mixture until it resembles small pebbles. Add the yogurt mixture to the butter and flour mixture, and stir everything together with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Bring the dough together with a few kneads in the bowl, and then turn it out on to a clean, lightly floured work surface. Pat the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 48 hours.
2. Make your filling! Put a pot of water on to boil. Salt the water when its boiling, then add the spinach and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Drain the spinach, and set it aside to cool.
3. Grate your Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses using the finest grate on your cheese grater. Whisk together in a large bowl the ricotta, one egg, the grated Parmesan and Pecorino, and the salt. Season with pepper to taste.
4. Once cool enough to handle, dry your spinach very, very well – water in the spinach will lead to a watery filling, so this is an important step. I usually use my (very clean) hands to squeeze it dry along with the aid of paper towels, but a clean tea towel will also do the trick. Once you think your spinach is completely dry, give it a few more squeezes, just in case. You will end up with what looks like a small portion of spinach – this is fine! Add it to the ricotta mixture and stir very well.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius). Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter and set aside. Take your chilled dough out of the fridge and divide it into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.
6. On a clean, lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the smaller piece of dough and place your springform pan on top of it. Using a sharp knife, cut around the pan to get a piece of dough of the same size, and set aside. Next roll out the larger piece of dough into a circle large enough to fit in to the bottom of your springform pan with some overhang.
7. Transport your larger piece of dough to the springform pan, being sure that it goes all the way up and over the pan’s sides. Fill the crust with the ricotta and spinach mixture.
8. Using a spoon, make 4 indentations in the filling. Carefully crack each of the remaining eggs into each indentation. Next, place the smaller piece of dough over the filling, being careful not to move around the eggs too much. Close the edges of the larger piece of dough over the smaller piece. Trim the extra dough off the sides.
9. Brush the top of the pastry with a beaten egg, which will make it nice and shiny. Cut a slit in the top of the pie to let any steam escape. Bake the Torta Pasqualina in your preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is a light golden brown and the filling is set. Let the Torta cool completely before cutting and serving.
