2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
plus extra for brushing
1 large onion, coarsely
chopped
900 gm (1 bunch) silverbeet,
washed and dried, leaves
and some stalks coarsely
chopped
1 cup salad burnet (optional;
see note), coarsely chopped
1 cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf
parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp fresh marjoram leaves,
coarsely chopped
250 gm ricotta, well drained
2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-
Reggiano
4 eggs
15 gm unsalted butter
DOUGH
200 gm plain flour, plus extra
for dusting
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
plus extra for greasing1 For dough, combine flour and
a large pinch of salt on a work
surface and form a well in the
centre. Pour in oil and 100ml
lukewarm water, and bring
together, kneading to form
a smooth dough. Divide into
4 balls, cover with a damp tea
towel and rest for 1 hour.
2 Heat oil in a frying pan over
medium heat, add onion and stirTorta pasqualina SERVES 6
“Recipes and ingredients vary from place to place,” says John Irving.
“Some boil the chard (aka silverbeet), while others don’t use chard
at all, preferringspinach, beetroot tops or, in the Ventimiglia area,
nettles. Thisrecipe, a simplified version of that published in the
bookRicette di Osterie e Genti di Liguria, calls for just four eggs and
four layers of pastry. It draws on versions I’ve seen in professional
kitchens, but also corresponds to how the Italian home cook would
prepare the pie. It goes without saying that many don’t make their
own dough, but use frozen puf pastry instead.”until soft (5-6 minutes). Add
greens and herbs, and cook,
stirring occasionally, until wilted
and all liquid has evaporated
(5-6 minutes). Season to taste
and transfer to a bowl (drain
any excess liquid). Add ricotta,
parmesan and 1 egg, combine
well and season to taste.
3 Preheat oven to 190°C. Roll
2 balls of dough into 2 very thin
30cm-diamater discs. Oil the
base and side of a 23cm round
shallow springform cake tin. Line
tin with 1 disc of dough and
brush with oil. Lay second disc
over, then spread filling in an
even layer. With the back of a
spoon, make 3 depressions in
filling spaced evenly apart. Place
a third of the butter and an egg
into each, keeping yolks intact,
and season to taste. Fold pastry
edge inwards. Roll remaining
dough as before. Lay 1 sheet
over filling, brush with oil, then
top with the second, pressing
it inside the pastry rim. Pinch
around edge to seal, brush with
oil and pierce centre with a fork.
Bake until golden (55 minutes to
hour) and serve warm or cold.
NoteSalad burnet is available
from select greengrocers with
advance order. If it’s unavailable,
leave it out.zucchini, onions and the like. Which is why some
versions are also referred to as torta verde, “green pie”.
Sure enough, on that day at Circella’s restaurant,
my sister was served a slice of pie, more specifically
a version known as baciocca, filled with potatoes and
onion, and her withdrawal symptoms disappeared
at the first bite. It was the middle of August, but had
it been earlier in the year, she would likely have been
served torta pasqualina – Easter pie, a specialty of
Genoa made with layers of puff pastry, filled with
a mixture of chard and ricotta encasing whole eggs.
In culinary terms, the torta pasqualina was a
celebration of spring. That was when chard was
in season, with peasants bringing it into the city by
the cartload. Eggs were also seasonal; in those days
before battery farming, broody hens used to
concentrate their egg-laying
into the early springtime. The
filling ingredients were bound
by prescinsêua, a soft-curd
cheese that is hard to find
nowadays and habitually
replaced by ricotta.
The tradition of the torta
pasqualina is packed with
religious symbolism. In 1865,
food historian Emanuele Rossi
wrote that the pie should
contain 33 layers of pastry
to denote the years of the life
of Christ, which must have put the culinary skills of
Genoese housewives to the test. If they were around
today, you would back these women to win one of
those TV bake-offs hands down. Eggs have always
been a symbol of fertility and renewal. Modern
recipes generally require only a few, but many
historical sources call for 12 to symbolise Christ’s
disciples. Others say seven, supposedly to represent
the points on the pagan solar wheel.
The wafer-thin pastry layers in the torta pasqualina
are fillo-like and delicate, the chard has a nice chewy
texture, the ricotta enriches the flavour, the eggs add
substance. In spring, Ligurians eat the pie warm with
lattuga ripiena, lettuce stuffed with meat and cheese,
and roast shank of lamb or kid to go along with it.
But in my opinion, it really comes into its own when
eaten cold the day after baking. And if you accompany
it with a glass of Ligurian wine – a red rossese or a
white pigato – it’s better still.●“Pity you
don’t have
pies here
in Italy,”
she was
thinking.
“I’ll show
you,” I was
thinking.ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN76 GOURMET TRAVELLER