Torta Pasqualina (Easter pie)
Torta Pasqualina (Easter pie)
Ingredients
The dough
- 250 gr Flour
- 100 gr EVO oil
- to taste Salt
The filling
- 500 gr Fresh spinach
- 200 gr Ricotta
- 4 Eggs
- 100 gr Grated Parmigiano
- to taste Salt and Pepper
- 4 sliced Hard-boiled eggs
Instructions
- Mix flour and oil in a large bowl. Knead the ingredients until clumpy.
- Add salt and a little water until smooth.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Boil the spinach, drain well and squeeze to remove excess water.
- Chop the spinach and place in a bowl. Add ricotta, grated Parmigiano, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix until smooth.
- Divide the dough into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger part with a rolling pin on a floured surface.
- Line a pie pan with the rolled-out dough, and pierce small holes on the bottom with a fork.
- Pour the spinach and ricotta filling over the base, level it with a spoon and arrange the hard-boiled egg slices on top of the filling.
- Roll out the second disk of dough and place it on top of the filling.
- Seal the edges and trim away excess dough.
- Score the surface of the pie to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Bake the pie in a preheated oven at 180° for about 45 minutes, brushing the surface with oil five to ten minutes before the end.
- Allow to cool.
- Cut into slices.
- Serve.
Torta Pasqualina is a traditional Ligurian dish, usually prepared at Easter time. It is a savory pie made of puff pastry, stuffed with spinach, hard-boiled eggs and ricotta cheese. Let’s have a look at the recipe!
Torta Pasqualina: a few tips
Read on and you will find some useful recommendations for a pie that will win everyone over:
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Use fresh spinach: it may seem unimportant, but it’s not: spinach is so much better fresh than frozen.
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Prepare the dough ahead of time: if at all possible, let your brisée or puff pastry rest in the refrigerator before use. This will ensure a perfect base for your pie.
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Do not overcook your spinach, or it will be too soft. Drain it well and squeeze it to remove excess water.
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Drain the ricotta cheese: if very wet, you may want to drain it for a few hours in a colander lined with a clean tea towel. This will help remove excess water and make your pie less watery.
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Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long slits, so that steam can escape during baking. This will prevent the top from becoming flaky.
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Cover the pie with foil if it starts getting brown too early, before the filling is fully cooked.
Extra virgin olive oil is a key ingredient for many reasons:
Most important, EVO oil is healthy:
It contains many “good” fats, which help regulate blood cholesterol levels.
It is digestible and will not weigh on your liver.
The antioxidants it contains counteract cellular aging.
Moreover:
- Using EVO oil instead of butter makes the dough lighter and more digestible
- The pie will stay nice and crumbly longer
- If olive oil is brushed on the surface of the pie at the end of the cooking process, the top will turn golden and crisp
For our recipe we used 100% Italian Farchioni Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is pleasantly intense and enhances the flavor of the pie dough.
Now you know all the secrets, so get to work… and enjoy your meal!
