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| Torta Pasqualina |
| Easter is one of the most celebrated holidays in Italy. The Sunday before Easter, families return home with blessed olive branches from churches (in the absence of palm trees). Holy Week begins. Thursday commemorates the anniversary of the Last Supper. Good Friday is the day of the Way of the Cross where streets light up with torches and processions. On Saturday, at midnight, bells toll to announce the Renaissance. Sunday the most important day, eggs, sweets, and chocolate are shared. Easter Monday became a holiday on the national calendar during the post-war period, to prolong the spring break. Here are some of the traditional Italian Easter Pastries and cakes: La Columba: La Columba (The Dove) is a traditional classic Italian Easter cake. It is a rich fluffly cake made with high-quality flour, farm fresh eggs, sugar, butter, and natural yeast that takes at least 30 hours to rise. After rising, the dough is then baked into the iconic dove shape and lastly topped with pear sugar and almonds. The dove represents the symbol of peace. La Pastiera: The emblematic Neapolitan Pastiera sweet cake originating in Naples and known and appreciated throughout Italy. La Pastiera is made with short crust pastry, ricotta, eggs, orange blossom, and durum wheat cooked in milk to create a custard like consistency. It is prepared on Thursdays and Fridays of the Holy Week. La Scarcella: In Puglia, the local tradition offers Scarcella, a typical round-shaped cookie type dessert. A white or colored hard-boiled egg is incorporated or woven in the dough with a white glaze on top. In ancient times the egg was considered a symbol of the union between earth and sky attributing to it the cosmic meaning of the symbol of new life. La Torta Pasqualina: The Ligurian Torta Pasqualina was established in the early 1400s as a savory preparation associated with Easter symbolism. It is a savory cake filed with eggs prepared to celebrate Easter and spring. It is one of the most famous and ancient recipes of the Ligurian cuisine. The pastry dough was originally composed of 33 layers, a reference to the years of Jesus. The eggs represent renewal, a wish for fruitfulness and the awakening of nature. Alba’s Torta Pasqualina (Easter Pie) 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 ½ pounds fresh Swiss chard or spinach, blanched 1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram 1-pound whole ricotta, drained overnight Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 ½ cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano 2 pieces ready-made puff pastry (thawed in frig) 6 whole eggs, divided
1. Blanch the Swiss chard or spinach for a few minutes in salted boiling water. Strain well and squeeze any remaining liquid with your hands. 2. In a large skillet, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, the minced garlic; cook about a minute on low heat. Add the Swiss chard or spinach, salt, pepper, and marjoram. Cook 2-3 minutes on medium heat until the vegetable is completely dry. Cool slightly. 3. In a large bowl, whip the strained ricotta with a wooden spoon about a minute. Add the vegetable mixture; mix well and season with salt and pepper. Add half of the grated cheese in the filling mixture. 4. Place a piece of parchment paper on a work surface. Add a little flour on top and with a rolling pin; stretch each puff pastry to fit the size of your pie pan. Place the first puff pastry on the pie pan. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Add the ricotta mixture. Top with remaining grated cheese. Make 5 indentations with a tablespoon around the pie to make room for 5 whole eggs. Crack a whole egg and place one in each indentation. Sprinkle with pepper. Drizzle a drop or two of olive oil on top of each egg. 5. Place the second puff pastry dough on top of the pie. Before cutting the extra puff pastry that is extending over the baking dish, leave about ½ inch hang. Fold the bottom and top puff pastry layers toward the inside of the pan, closing the entire pie. Cut a tiny hole in the middle of pie. 6. Beat remaining egg and lightly brush over the top of the pie. Bake about 50 minutes in a preheated 350F oven. The pie should be golden on top. Allow to rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Chef Tip: be sure the puff pastry is cold when you work with it. |
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