With Easter approaching and that big family dinner looming, Vintage Bakehouse has something a little different in store for you this month.
The Torta Pasqualina is an Italian pie made with a delicious spinach and ricotta cheese filling. Finding its origins in Liguria, Northern Italy, the Torta Pasqualina dates back to 14th century, during a time of poverty when much of the food was sourced from locally grown crops. As the Ligurian countryside could only yield a small amount of wheat, larger amounts of flour could only be obtained from outside the region, and this proved to be very expensive. Therefore, to keep costs to a minimum, the Ligurians regularly used the small quantity of wheat they did have to produce just one pound of flour, enough to make a thin dough torta. As meat was also costly, the filling for any traditional torta would usually consist of seasonal vegetables such as mushrooms, spinach, leek, fennel, artichokes or chards.
Sources suggest that Northern Italy has been heavily influenced by cultures from both Southern Italy and Southern France. For 700 years, The Moors, travellers and conquerors native to North Africa, flourished in Al-Anduras (now known as the Iberian Penninsula), an area comprising parts of Spain, Portugal, Southern France and Southern Italy. Their presence within these regions lead to changes in local cuisine, as foods from their North African diet were gradually introduced. Wheat, olive oil, parsley, cabbage, spinach and chard were soon to become significant ingredients of many Mediterranean dishes.
Another example of this revolution in culinary fashion is the original ancestor of all savoury pies, the Sambusac. Brought to Spain from the Middle East during the Muslim conquest, this pastry was to evolve over time as its recipe travelled throughout Europe. Today, there is no doubt that many European savoury pastries owe their existence to the Sambusac, and the Torta Pasqualina is certainly one of them.
Served exclusively in the spring and traditionally alfresco on Easter Monday, the Torta Pasqualina acquired its name from the Italian word for Easter, 'Pasqua'. Prior to cooking, 13 eggs are placed on top of the filling mixture inside the pastry case, 12 around the edge and the yolk of the thirteenth in the middle; representing Christ and his 12 apostles. Traditionally, the torta used 33 layers of puff pastry, one for each year of Christ's life. Today, it is most commonly made with a filling of spinach and ricotta, but using fewer eggs and pastry layers.
Try the quick and easy recipe below to surprise your family with something alternative this Easter:
Ingredients
Serves 6
300g fresh Spinach
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
350g ricotta cheese
80g Parmesan cheese grated
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste
1 packet filo pastry
70g melted butter
6 egg yolks
Directions
Preparation: 30 min > Cook: 40 min > Ready in: 1 hour 10 min
1. Place the spinach in a frying pan over medium heat and cook until wilted. Drain, squeeze dry and chop finely.
2. Heat a knob of butter in the frying pan and add the onion. Cook until soft, adding the spinach for the last minute of two. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl
3. Once to spinach mixture has cooled slightly, mix in the ricotta, Parmesan, two whole eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Butter a 23cm tart tin or pie dish. Unwrap the filo and keep a damp cloth over the stack of sheets to prevent them from drying out whilst you work.
5. Lay a sheet of filo over the buttered dish. Instead of laying it centred over the dish, lay it to the side so that excess filo hangs over only one side of the dish. Brush lightly with butter, then top with another sheet of filo, at a slight angle to the first one. Continue in this manner with up to 12 sheets , brushing between sheets and working clockwise to lay each at a slight angle to the previous sheet.
6. Tip the cheese and spinach mixture into the filo-lined dish. Spread out evenly. Using the back of a spoon, make six indentations in the filling, then place an egg yolk in each. season each yolk with salt and pepper, ten drizzle each with a bit of melted butter.
7. Take the extra filo hanging over the edge of the dish ad fold it over to the centre to cover the filling. bring each sheet of filo over one at a time and brush each one with butter. End by brushing the top of the whole pie with butter.
8. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the filo pastry is a dark golden brown. Remove and let cool before serving.
Images sourced from:
http://www.citrusandcandy.com/2010/04/torta-pasqualina-traditional-italian.html
http://selectstudyabroad.com/tumblr/
Recipe sourced from:
http://allrecipes.com.au/recipes/searchresults.aspx?text=torta%20pasqualina&o_is=Search
Blog content sourced from:
http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/10/07/when-black-men-ruled-the-world-moors/2/
http://www.sarahmelamed.com/2010/06/the-worlds-favorite-savory-pastry/
http://www.nypl.org/blog/2012/03/30/my-favorite-north-african-vegetarian-recipes
http://passionandcooking.com/2013/03/23/torta-pasqualina-easter-pie/
http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/07/26/italian-tortasavory-pies/