Savory Easter Cake

Torta Pasqualina 

Laura in the Kitchen

 

The pasqualina cake is usually a savory pie , typical of the 

Easter Season. 

The traditional Easter cake is typical of the Easter period , that is, of the spring and its products: eggs, herbs, new onions, marjoram, once present in every Ligurian garden. It represents the highlight of the Easter lunch and in the past it was the apotheosis of the skill of housewives , who legendarily are said to have succeeded in superimposing up to thirty-three sheets in homage to the years of Christ .

 

Ingredients

    For the crust:

•     2-1/2 cups of All Purpose Flour
•     1/4 cup of Olive Oil
•     1 tsp of Salt
•     1/2 cup or so of Ice Water

    For the Filling:

•     2 (10 oz each) Boxes of Spinach, thawed and squeezed out of any liquid
•     1/2 of a Yellow Onion, finely chopped
•     2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
•     2 Eggs
•     1 lb (16oz) of Whole Milk Ricotta
•     Salt and Plenty of Black Pepper
•     1/2 cup of Freshly Grated Parm
•     Pinch of Dried Oregano

Preparation

1) Start by making the crust. Add the flour, salt and olive oil in the standing mixer and while pulsing, add the water until the dough comes together (you might have to add more water if it doesn’t hold together easily), pull the dough together into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for about an hour. When it’s close to an hour, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and start making the filling.

    2) In a saute pan, add the oil and onions and saute for a few minutes, add the spinach, a pinch of salt and just cook together for about a minute, transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool.

    3) To the bowl with the spinach, add the ricotta, 2 eggs, parm, oregano and salt, mix together well and set aside.

    4) Grease a 9 inch spring form pan (or any round pan) with olive oil and set aside. Split the dough into two pieces, one bigger than the other (the bigger one is for the base). Roll out the bigger piece until it’s big enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan, then fill it with the spinach filling, make 4 indents in the filling and carefully add an egg in each hole.

    5) Roll out the top piece, carefully place it on top, then pinch the edges together to seal, make a little slit in the center and finally, brush the top with some olive oil.

    6) Bake for about an hour or until deeply golden brown, then let cool completely before serving.