Torta Pasqualina (Easter Spinach & Ricotta Pie)
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 1.5 hours resting/cooling time
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Pastry:
- 200g/7ozs. flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 125g/4ozs. butter
- 1 egg
- 1-2 tablespoons cream or oil
For filling
- 1kg/2.2lbs spinach or chard, chopped, blanched and drained (can use thawed out from frozen spinach)
- Oil for frying
- 3 large onions (around 600g/21ozs) finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1/2-1 teaspoon sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 cup/125g/4ozs. peas
- 1 cup/125g/4ozs grated parmesan cheese
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 500g/1.1lbs ricotta, divided in half, drained
- 5-6 eggs
- 1 sheet butter puff pastry, thawed in the fridge
- Beaten egg to glaze
Tip: drain the ricotta cheese the night before you make this so that the filling is not wet.
Step 1 - Spray a round 20cm/8inch springform tin with oil and line the base with parchment. In a food processor add the flour, salt, butter and egg and pulse until you get fine breadcrumbs. Then add the cream or oil (add 1 tablespoon at first) until it starts to come together. Knead to form a dough.
Step 2 - Sprinkle flour on a surface and roll out between two sheets of parchment so that it is large enough to fit into the tin and up the sides. Place into the tin-I find the easiest way is to flour the surface of the pastry and fold it in half and then gently place it in the tin and then press down. You should get just about the right amount for a 20cm/8inch tin with some overhang. Cover with cling film and refrigerate while you make and cool the filling. You need the pastry in the fridge for at least 1 hour resting.
Step 3 - If you are using fresh chard or spinach, remove the hard spine and roughly chop the leaves and blanch them in water for 20 seconds. Then press it down with weights over a sieve to squeeze out all the water. The end weight you want is 1kg or 2.2lbs well drained greens. Finely chop the wilted leaves.
Step 4 - Heat oil in a large frying pan and add the onions and sweat these on low to medium heat until soft and fragrant (around 10 minutes) adding more oil if you need it. Add the garlic and sauté for a few more minutes. Then add the drained spinach or chard and cook for a few minutes until there is no more water left. Then add the sugar, lemon, nutmeg, pepper, marjoram, peas and parmesan. Taste this mixture for flavour and season if needed. This should be delicious as it is, otherwise add some more salt, sugar or parmesan. Allow this mixture to cool completely.
Step 5 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Mix half of the ricotta cheese and the beaten eggs with the greens. Spoon into the unbaked pastry in the tin and smooth over with an angled spatula. Spread the remaining ricotta on top. Using a spoon make deep holes in the ricotta spinach mixture and crack the eggs in the depressions.
Step 6 - Cut out a circle of puff pastry to fit over the top of the pie. Trim the edge of the base pastry and seal the two pastries together with a little egg wash. I pinched the edges together too using my knuckles. Brush the top with egg wash. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes and then bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool and serve at room temperature or serve the next day after storing in the fridge.