A light wrapper of puff pastry containing a beet, egg and ricotta cream to celebrate Easter and spring. It is typical of Ligurian cuisine, but appreciated in every region of Italy.
The recipe of Pasqualina cake it was already known in the 1400s and even then it was prepared in the days of Easter, as a symbol of this feast for the eggs it contains, but also because then it was said that the shell that covered it was composed of 33 sheets, like the years of Christ. The current recipe is simplified, with only 3 sheets to enclose the stuffed with chard or spinach and ricotta. Typical dish of Ligurian cuisine, it is prepared for Sunday and, if left over, it is preserved for the trip outside the Angel Monday. The execution of this salty cake it's not easy, but with our recipe you will succeed.
Pasta is not puff pastry!
One of the most common mistakes that can be made in making the Torta Pasqualina is to use the puff pastry, maybe the one bought at the supermarket and rich in hydrogenated fats. The right dough instead it must be done by hand and it is prepared by simply mixing wheat flour, salt, water and extra virgin olive oil. The secret to getting a crunchy and at the same time crumbly sheet is to overlap multiple layers of pasta, rolled with a rolling pin and greased with oil, to prevent them from sticking together. In this way the casing will be consistent and fragrant.
How to prepare the Pasqualina cake
Ingredients
For the casing
300 g of 00 flour, extra virgin olive oil, salt, water.
For the stuffing
1 kg of chard or spinach, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 3 bunches of borage, parsley, marjoram, 8 eggs, 2 tablespoons of fresh cream, 300 g of ricotta, 200 g of Parmigiano Reggiano, 50 g of butter, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper.
Method
Place the flour on the table, add a pinch of salt, two tablespoons of oil and start kneading, adding from time to time water, until the dough is soft and smooth. Divide the dough into six dough pieces and let them rest for an hour, covered with a damp cloth. Meanwhile clean the chard, cut it into strips together with the borage, and steam them. Squeeze, add a generous handful of Parmesan, some salt, a few marjoram leaves and mix well. Brown in a pan for a few minutes the chopped onion with garlic and parsley. In a bowl, beat 3 eggs, add a tablespoon of Parmesan, vegetables, ricotta, cream, onion, garlic and parsley. Mix well. Grease a baking pan with oil and cover it with a piece of dough rolled out into thin sheets, leaving it to overflow. Stir the bottom and repeat the operation with two more pieces of pasta. The last do not brush it with oil but fill it with the filling of vegetables and ricotta. You do five small recesses in the dough where you will put a small piece of butter and then a whole egg, being careful not to break the yolk. Cover them with Parmesan, salt and pepper. At this point spread the three remaining sheets over the filling with the eggs, greasing them one by one with a little oil and turning the escaping dough inside. Finish by brushing the surface of the paste with oil and punzecchiatela with the prongs of a fork, to prevent it from swelling and breaking. Put the pan in a preheated oven at 180 ° and cook for about an hour, until you see the dough brown. Serve it warm.
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