Torta Di Pasquetta The Pasquettaeaster Tart Recipes

TORTA PASQUALINA

Steps:

• Dough:
• Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and process until largest pieces of butter are pea-size. Drizzle in 1/2 cup ice water and pulse until a few shaggy pieces of dough form.
• Transfer dough (get all the dry bits) to a work surface. Drizzle 1 Tbsp. ice water over; knead to just barely bring dough together. Divide in half. Place a half on a piece of plastic wrap. Using plastic and your hands, form dough into a 3/4"-thick disk and tightly wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill at least 2 hours.
• Filing and assembly:
• Working in batches, cook Swiss chard in a large pot of boiling water until bright green and slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Swish to cool, then remove greens and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Transfer greens to a cutting board and finely chop (you should have about 4 cups).
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden but not browned, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in greens. Let cool.
• Using a fork, whisk 4 eggs in a large bowl to blend. Add ricotta, Parmesan, and Swiss chard mixture and mix to combine. Add garlic, lemon zest, nutmeg, 2 tsp. salt, and 1 1/2 tsp. pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
• Let dough sit at room temperature 5 minutes to soften. Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12" round about 1/8" thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roll out remaining disk of dough and carefully transfer to tart pan. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into pan. Press dough firmly into sides and bottom of pan. Trim, leaving about a 1/2" overhang. Beat 1 egg in a small bowl to blend and brush edges of dough.
• Scrape filling into pan, creating a mound in the center. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread filling over bottom, smoothing surface. Use a spoon to create 5 divots in filling and crack an egg into each. Season eggs with a bit of salt. Arrange remaining round of dough over filling. Trim edges of top round, leaving 1/2" overhang. Fold edge of bottom crust up and over top, then press edges together to seal. Crimp and brush top of dough with remaining beaten egg; sprinkle with sugar. Transfer pie to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill in freezer 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake pie until crust is deep golden brown, 65-75 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let pie cool in pan at least 30 minutes before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Dough can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month. Pie can be baked 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.

TORTA DI PASQUETTA (THE PASQUETTA/EASTER TART)

Steps:

• In a bowl, quickly mix together the flour, water, oil and salt. Transfer the mixture to a work surface. Briefly work the dough with your fingertips until it forms a ball.
• Divide into two balls, one slightly larger than the other (one third to two thirds); shape balls into flattened disks, wrap separately in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the larger piece to a 14 ½ inch round, 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to an 11 inch springform pan, pressing into edges and leaving a ¼ inch overhang.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F In a bowl, combine the ricotta, 7 of the eggs, ham, marjoram, salt, and pepper; spoon into the prepared crust. With the back of a tablespoon, create 6 deep egg-shaped indentations in the filling. One at a time, crack an egg into each indentation.
• Roll the remaining dough into a 11-inch round. Cover the top of the tart with dough; pinch together the edges and trim any excess dough. Whisk together the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the top of the tart with the egg wash and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cumin seeds.
• Bake tart, rotating halfway through, until top is puffed up and golden, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on rack to room temperature.

RICOTTA TART: TORTA DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• For the pasta frolla: Combine sugar, butter, egg, milk, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Fold in the flour but do not over mix; make sure that the mixture remains cool and does not become pasty. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, or until firm.
• For the Ricotta Filling: Place the ricotta in a large bowl stir in the sugar, then the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla being careful not to over mix.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut off 1/2 of the pasta frolla and reserve. Roll 1/2 of the dough into a 14-inch disc and line a 9-inch cake pan with it. Allow the dough to hang over the edge of the pan. Roll out the reserved dough into a 10-inch circle. Reserve. Pour the ricotta filling into the crust base. Lay the reserved 10-inch circle of dough on the top of the filling. Trim the excess so there is a 1/2 to 3/4-inch overhang. Take the flap of dough left on the edge of the ring and roll it on itself so that it rests completely within the pan.
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg with a pinch of salt and a few drops of water to make an egg wash. Brush the surface of the torta with the beaten egg mixture. Place the torta in the lower third of the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

TORTA PASQUALINA

Steps:

• For the crust: Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Combine the oil and 1 cup water in a liquid measuring cup and pour into the well. Stir together with a fork to make a shaggy dough. Turn out on a work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 2 to 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Space the balls 1 to 2 inches apart on the worksurface or in a baking dish. Cover with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour.
• For the filling: Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large pot over high. Add the onion, chard stems, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until softened and dry, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, then the spinach, adding a little of the greens at a time and letting each batch wilt before adding more.
• Once all the greens are wilted, add the marjoram and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the stems and greens are tender and all the liquid has cooked off, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a large cutting board to cool, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the center and a large baking sheet set on the rack. Mix the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, yogurt, breadcrumbs, nutmeg and 2 of the eggs in a large bowl. Finely chop the greens and stir into the ricotta mixture.
• Brush the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan (at least 2 inches deep) with olive oil. Generously dust a work surface with flour and roll out 1 dough ball to 12 inches in diameter. (Keep the other dough covered.)
• Drape the dough round in the pan so the edges overhang by about 1 inch. (It's ok if it doesn't completely lay across the bottom of the pan, it will stretch as you add more layers.) Brush the edges with oil first to anchor them, then brush the rest of the dough. Roll another ball in the same way, lay it on top of the first and brush with oil the same way. Continue rolling, layering and brushing with 4 more balls of dough for a total of 6 layers, leaving the last layer unbrushed with oil. Gently spread the chard filling into the crust.
• Crack one egg into a ramekin. Make a 2-inch-deep-by-2-inch-wide indentation in the filling 1 inch from the edge of the pan using the back of the handle of a wooden spoon. Slide the egg into the hole. Repeat the process with 4 more eggs, spacing them evenly around the pan. Do not put an egg in the center. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper.
• Roll another ball of dough to 12 inches in diameter. Lay it over of the filling with a 1 1/2-inch overhang and brush with oil. Repeat with the remaining 5 balls of dough leaving the top layer unbrushed with oil. Trim the overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll the overhanging edges over each other along the rim of the torta, tucking them in and pinching to seal. Beat the remaining egg in the ramekin and generously brush the top and edges of the torta.
• Place the torta on the preheated baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden brown and the internal temperature registers 150 degrees F when taken at the center, 70 to 80 minutes. (The edges will measure hotter.) Cool on a wire rack at least 4 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

PASTIERA DI PASQUA (ITALIAN EASTER TART WITH RICOTTA)

Steps:

• Bring wheat grains, milk, butter, and 1/2 of the lemon zest to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 11-inch tart pan.
• Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, orange flower water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Mix in remaining lemon zest and candied orange peel. Fold in wheat mixture and mix filling until well combined.
• Roll out 1 sheet puff pastry on a lightly floured surface so it will fit into the tart pan. Place pastry in the pan and spoon filling on top. Roll out the second puff pastry sheet and cut into 3/4-inch thick strips. Layer a lattice pattern on top of the filling and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake tart in the preheated oven until filling is set and lattice is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool inside the tart pan, at least 1 hour.
• Carefully unmold tart, transfer onto a cake platter. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.