Torta Pasqualina with spinach

Name: Torta Pasqualina with spinach
Ingredients: 2 sheets puff pastry; 1500 ml water; 1 tablespoon salt for boiling; 500 g spinach; 250 g ricotta; 5 eggs; 100 g parmesan; 1 teaspoon salt for the filling; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Appetizers - Torta Pasqualina with spinach by Francesca H. - Recipia

Drain the spinach well after its 10 minutes of boiling, before adding it to Torta Pasqualina with spinach. In this Ligurian Easter pie, ricotta and parmesan keep the filling soft between two browned pastry sheets, with four eggs baked in separate wells. I slice it while it’s still warm and eat it slowly. Prep: 20 minutes. Cook: 40-50 minutes. Rest: 20 minutes. Total time: 80-90 minutes. Serves: 6. Approximately 735 kcal and 22 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

2 sheets puff pastry
1500 ml water
1 tablespoon salt for boiling
500 g spinach
250 g ricotta
5 eggs
100 g parmesan
1 teaspoon salt for the filling
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation

1. Take the puff pastry sheets out of the fridge, or leave them to thaw if frozen, while you prepare the filling. 2. Put 1500 ml water and 1 tablespoon salt in a pot. When it boils, add the spinach and cook for 10 minutes, until softened. 3. Drain the spinach and leave it to cool for 20 minutes. Chop it finely and press it gently in the sieve so it drains well. 4. Beat one egg and set aside 1 teaspoon for brushing. Mix the rest with the spinach, ricotta, parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 5. Line a 22-24 cm round tin with baking paper and place one sheet of puff pastry in it. Spread in the filling, make four wells with a spoon and crack a raw egg into each one. 6. Preheat the oven to 200 °C 10 minutes before baking. Cover the filling with the second sheet, seal the edges and brush the top with the reserved egg. 7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden. If it browns too much on top, cover the tin with aluminum foil.

Notes

You can replace the ricotta with 250 g well-drained fresh cheese; the pie contains gluten, dairy and eggs. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the slices are good cold too. I serve it with a simple green salad. Frozen spinach needs to be fully thawed and squeezed before chopping, as it releases more water than fresh spinach. If you use fresh spinach, remove the thick stems, which stay tougher after boiling. Very wet ricotta can sit in a sieve for a few minutes, and it’s worth taking the salt in the parmesan into account when seasoning the filling.