Torta Pasqualina

Torta Pasqualina is a classic dish from Liguria, traditionally prepared for the Easter period. Here’s how to make this tasty dish:

Ingredients

• 2 rolls of brisée pastry (or puff pastry, according to tradition 33 thin layers are used to remember the years of Christ)
• 500 g of chard or spinach
• 300 g of ricotta
• 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 eggs
• 1 white onion
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg

Preparation

1. Clean and wash the chard or spinach, then wilt the chopped onion in a pan with some oil and add the greens to cook for a few minutes. Drain the mixture to remove excess water and let it cool.
2. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the Parmesan, a pinch of salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Add the cooked vegetables and mix everything together.
3. Roll out the first sheet of brisée pastry in a baking pan, keeping the parchment paper underneath. Pour the vegetable and ricotta filling onto the pastry base and create 6 wells with the back of a spoon.
4. Break an egg into each well, taking care not to break the yolk and keeping a distance between each egg.
5. Cover the filling with the second sheet of pastry, seal the edges well by pinching them. Make some holes on the surface of the pie to allow moisture to escape during cooking.
6. Bake the pie in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 45 minutes or until it turns a nice golden color.

Once baked, let the Torta Pasqualina rest a few minutes before serving. It can be enjoyed either hot or at room temperature. It’s a very rich and flavorful dish, an excellence of the Italian culinary tradition.

Curiosity

The main feature of the Torta Pasqualina are the “chapels” with the egg, which should remain visible once the pie is cut. It is a dish that in its origins encompasses the celebration of life and rebirth, both for the symbolic presence of the egg and for the abundance of ingredients, contrasting with the restrictions of Lent.