Torta Pasqualina: The Traditional Italian Easter Pie from Liguria

Torta pasqualina is a beloved Easter pie in Italy. Originally from Liguria, the dish is now popular all over the peninsula. The pie is made with puff pastry and a spring green such as artichoke, chard leaves or, in this case, spinach. In the past, the recipe had stronger religious tones: it was made with 33 sheets of very thin pastry, one for every year of Jesus' life, to celebrate Easter. The most important part of the pie is the eggs baked inside. When you cut it, you should see the egg sliced through the middle for a beautiful, festive effect. Recipe by Chef Luca Marchiori, first published on Great Italian Chefs.

Ingredients for 6 people

• 1 3/4 pounds spinach
• 1 1/8 pounds ricotta
• 6 eggs
• 2 sheets puff pastry
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

How to make Torta Pasqualina

1. Place the spinach directly in a large saucepan with a lid. Turn the heat on low, cover and leave to wilt for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the spinach to cool completely.
2. When the spinach is cool, put it in a blender for a few seconds to chop it into small pieces, or chop it with a knife. In a bowl, mix the spinach with the ricotta. Season with salt and pepper to taste and mix in 1 egg.
3. Butter a deep 8-inch cake tin lined with one of the sheets of puff pastry. Pour in the spinach mixture and transfer the tin to the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.
4. Carefully make four large holes in the spinach mixture with a spoon, each big enough to take an entire egg. Break 1 egg into each hole.
5. Cut a 7-inch circle out of the second sheet of puff pastry. Place it carefully over the top of the mixture and use a sharp knife to score a cross in the pastry over the eggs.
6. Beat the remaining egg with a fork and brush the pastry disc with it. Gently fold down the edges of the pastry lining to join the disc and seal the pie. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg and put the whole pie in the fridge for 30 minutes.
7. While the pie is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 356°F.
8. Remove the pie from the fridge and score a pattern on top with a sharp knife. Make a small hole in the center of the pie, brush one final layer of beaten egg on top and bake for 1 hour.
9. Allow the pie to cool completely, then cut into eight portions using the cross on top as a guide.

Tips

Scoring the top

Score a cross in the top of the pie so you can see where to cut through the eggs.