Amici, at this particular moment we have thought of a way to feel closer to you. We often go back to Italy for Easter to be with our family. This year we have found a way to feel close to our family even from afar.
Food is an important link for us and for Easter we will cook our traditional dishes as if we were in Italy.
So we thought to share with you one of the dishes that never fails on Italian tables for Easter.
Enjoy, see you soon.
Gisella & Caterina
Ingredients:
2 bunches beet greens, 1 bunch marjoram, 1lb ricotta cheese, 1oz dry mushrooms (soaked in warm water), 12 eggs, 1/2lb grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, 1.5 cup warm water, 4 cup all purpose flour
Mix the flour with water, salt and 2 tbsp of etra virgin olive oil and knead it well in order to geta a rather soft dough. Divide it into 6 small ball-shaped rolls and leave them covered with a lightly dampened towel. After washing and cleaning the beet greens, cut into thin strips and boil in little, salted water. Drain well, squeeze out the excess of water and put them on a cutting board with your drained mushrooms. Use a nife to chop your vegetables up.
Make the filling. Pour your vegetables in a bowl, add 2 eggs, 1/4 of your Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix very well.
In a different bowl, mix very well the ricotta cheese with 3 eggs, the minced marjoram, 2/4 of your Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and a pich of salt and pepper. Take the first piece of dough and roll out a very thin sheet using a rolling pin. Grease with oil the bottom and the edges of a round baking pan and place your first sheet inside the pan. Repeat the same operation with other 2 ball-shaped rolls of doug and add them to the first one, making layers. Brush each sheet with olive oil. Pour your vegetables on top of your layers, pour also the ricotta cheese mixture on top and with a spoon make 7 small dimples where you are going to pour the 7 eggs. Sprinkle with the last quarter of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salt and pepper.
The last step is to roll out the last 3 ball-shaped rolls, using again a rolling pin, in order to have 3 thin sheets. Place each sheets on top of ricotta and eggs, making 3 layers. Remember to brush each sheet with olive oil.
Fold the dough overhanging on the sides of the pan in order to seal your cake.
Brush the top of you cake with olive oil.
Bake the torta Pasqualina in preheated oven, 360F, for about 50 minutes.
Let your torta Pasqualina cool down for about 1 hour before serving.