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  • U RecettAriel

    Torta Pasqualìn-na,
    Torta Pasqualina,
    Easter Pie


    Torta Pasqualina

    One of the most popular Ligurian recipes, it deserves a place on its own.
    Tradition dictates that the puff pastry of the crust contains 33 very fine, almost transparent layers, one to mark each year of Christ's life. Modern cookbooks generally call for 8, and you can reduce the number to 6. PrescinseuaThe traditional Genoese recipe also calls for prescinsêua (in Italian "cagliàta"), a soft cheese made by gathering curds, but being difficult to find it outside Genova, modern cookbooks call for Ricotta instead.
    In any case, the recipe can be traced back to the 1500's.
    To serve 8-10:
  • For the dough:
    -1 k (10 cups) flour
    -4 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
    -Salt
    -Warm water
  • For the filling:
    -1.5 k (3 pounds) beet greens or spinach or both; another common filling is made with 10-12 slivered artichoke hearts sautéed in oil
    -1 3/4 cups grated Parmigiano or Pecorino
    -1 tablespoon minced marjoram, fresh or dried
    -500 g (1 1/8 pounds) Prescinsêua (curd) or Ricotta (if you can't find it, choose cottage cheese, but it's not the same)
    -2 tablespoons flour
    -2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
  • For the preparation:
    -Oil, for greasing the pan and the sheets
    -12 eggs
    -2/3 cup unsalted butter
    -Salt & freshly ground pepper
    Make a mound of the flour on your work surface and scoop a well into it. Pour in the oil; add 2 pinches of salt, and enough warm water to obtain a soft smooth dough. Divide it into 33 balls and let them rest on a well-floured surface, covered by a damp cloth. Wash the greens well, strip away the tough ribs, slice them into thin strips, and blanch the leaves in lightly salted water. Drain them well and put them in a bowl. Stir in the grated cheese and the minced marjoram. In the meantime, put the Prescinsêua (or Ricotta) in a finely woven muslin sack and hang it up to drain, or press it with a weight to remove the serum. When it has dried, mix into it the 2 tablespoons of oil and flour, the remaining Parmigiano, and check seasoning.
    Take 13 of the dough balls and roll them out paper thin one at time. Grease a pie pan (preferably with a detachable base) sufficient to contain the filling (a 25 cm, or 10-inch, round pan), and lay down the 13 sheets, brushing all except for the last one with oil. Spread the beet greens (or artichokes) mixture over the dough, drizzle it with a little oil, and then spread the cheese mixture over the vegetables.
    Use the back of a spoon to press out 12 depressions in the top of the cheese mixture and crack the 12 eggs into them, being careful not to break the yolks. Season them with salt and pepper and drizzle them with a tablespoon of unsalted butter. Preheat your oven to 200°C - 400°F.
    Take the remaining dough balls and roll them out as you did the first. Lay them down over the pie, greasing them lightly top and bottom, and try to keep them separate by blowing a little air between the layers with the help of a straw. Press the edges of the layers together so as to obtain a border for the pie. Bake it for about 50 minutes.
    It's good warm but much better when it has cooled to room temperature.
    This pie can be kept in the fridge for 2 or 3 days when baked. It can also be deep frozen.
    Tradition dictates that, to honor the head of the household, his initials be pressed into the crust at the rim.
  • Suggested wine: Colli di Luni bianco (white, served at 10-12° C/ 50-54 F°). Some people suggest also Rossèse di Dolceàcqua DOC (red, served at 18-22° C / 64-71° F)) but I think it covers the pie taste too much.