Weekend Baking: Torta Pasqulina

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 kilo of mixed kale and spinach leaves
• a handful of flat leaf parsley
• a handful of fresh herbs of your choice
• a pinch of allspice
• a grating of nutmeg
• 250g ricotta
• 100g grated fresh mature gbejna
• 100g grated goats cheese cheddar
• 9 eggs (5 of them being hard boiled)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 packet filo pastry

Instructions

1. In a pan cook the chopped onion in a few drops of olive oil. Clean and trip the spinach and kale leaves, roughly chop and place them in a large bowl. Scald them with boiling water and leave them to soak for 5 minutes.
2. Drain the water by passing the leaves through a sieve. Place the leaves in a clean kitchen towel, wrap it up and squeeze the water out but wringing the kitchen towel tightly. Do this several times. This process helps to retain a better colour and freshness to the leaves.
3. Place the leaves in a large bowl. Add the flat leaf parsley and the fresh herbs, the rest of the olive oil and the eggs (4) and use a hand blender to get a smooth consistency.
4. Add the cooked onion, grated gbejna, the cheddar, the organic apple vinegar, allspice, nutmeg, ricotta and mix using a large metal spoon. I do not like to blend the ricotta to give the filling a more interesting texture. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Use a brush to lightly coat the bundt tin with olive oil. Line with a layer of filo pastry leaving the edges hanging over the edge, brush with olive oil, then layer another sheet of filo pastry and repeat with a third sheet.
6. Spoon the filling neatly into the pie dish.
7. Place the whole hard cooked eggs inside the filling and push down.
8. Bring together the overlapping pastry and cover up the top of the pie. If necessary use another sheet of filo pastry to cover up the top by scrunching it up lightly and then brushing with olive oil. Scatter some sesame seeds on top.
9. Cook in a preheated oven at 150C for 45 minutes. I then turn off the oven and place the pie in the bottom of the oven to carry on cooking the bottom of the pastry and avoid it from being soggy.
10. I like to allow this pie to cool completely before cutting. It is delicious cold but can also be cut and then reheat the slices to expose the hard cooked eggs.

Notes

https://leahogg.com/2016/03/27/happy-easter-torta-pasqualina/

Copyright Lea Hogg 2018