By Chef Joseph Massaglia
Although we celebrated Easter the first weekend in April, I want to share a favorite dish of mine which celebrates both Easter and spring. Also known as Torta Pasqualina, it was traditionally made with 33 layers of phyllo dough (the number of years in the life of Christ). This ancient recipe is believed to date back to 15th century Genoa, the capital city of Liguria. Liguria, a region in Northwest Italy, is the home of the Italian Riviera and it borders on my home region, the Piedmont.
This recipe uses thin dough (you can substitute phyllo dough) and is made with spinach (my mother would use chard) or other spring greens, artichokes, hard cooked eggs and is seasoned with marjoram or other herbs. Unlike the more familiar Neopolitan version known as Pizza Gain, Pizzagaina, Pizza Rustica, or Pizza Chiena, it does not contain cured meats. That type of Easter Pizza (pizza means pie of course) is made with cheeses, salami, pepperoni or ham, hard cooked eggs and a thicker dough.
This Easter Cheese and Spinach Pie recipe can be found on my website (www.joestablefortwo.com) and is one of 600 authentic recipes from the “Italian Regional Cooking” cookbook by famous Italian cookbook author Ada Boni. I’ve updated some ingredients from Ada’s original recipe so that it’s easier to make. You can substitute other greens or use a mixture of greens, add some fresh dill if you like, and use other seasonings to “make it your own.” I hope you enjoy it.
Cheese and Spinach Pie (Liguria)
Serves 6.
*Dough:
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 30 ounces fresh spinach or other spring greens, rinsed and drained thoroughly
- 10 canned artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and chopped
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 16 ounces whole milk ricotta or cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Mix the flour, olive oil and salt; gradually add enough water to make a stiff dough. Add water slowly so dough does not become too wet and sticky. (Dough should leave the sides of the bowl cleanly.) Knead the dough thoroughly and divide it into 10 equal size balls. Put them on a lightly floured pastry board, cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add about half of the spinach; gently toss and turn the spinach with tongs so all of the unwilted leaves make contact with the bottom of the pan.
As the spinach cooks down, add remaining spinach and continue to toss. When all the spinach is completely wilted and has turned bright dark green, remove the spinach from the pan and spread it out on a cloth or paper towel lined rimmed baking sheet until cool. Chop and set aside.
In the same pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic; sauté until soft but not brown. Remove from the heat, add spinach and artichokes and stir to combine. Combine the ricotta, milk and salt; fold into spinach mixture; set aside.
Brush a 12x10x2-inch baking dish with olive oil.
Roll one ball of pastry into a wafer-thin sheet, keeping the rest of the pastry balls under the damp cloth. Line the prepared pan with the first pastry sheet, brush lightly with oil and trim off any excess pastry even with the rim. Repeat this procedure with 5 more pastry balls, brushing each layer with oil and trimming the edges.
Gently spread the cooked vegetable mixture on top of the pastry layers. Make 6 indentations (wells) in the filling. Place a small pat of butter in each one and put an egg in each on top of the butter. Sprinkle the surface with marjoram, pepper, another pinch of salt and Parmesan cheese.
Roll out the remaining 4 balls of pastry as with the first 6, brushing each with oil as you layer. Prick the top layer with a fork, brush generously with oil and trim off any overlapping pastry.
Bake at 400° for 40 to 45 minutes or until pie is bubbling around the edges and golden brown. Loosely cover with a piece of aluminum foil if it browns too quickly. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve hot or cold.
*You can substitute 10 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions, for the homemade dough layers. You also can use more phyllo sheets if you like.
