Spinach & Ricotta Pie

Details

6 serves

1 hour 30 minutes

This recipe was developed by two lovely ladies, Isabella and Mary, also known as @cuginicucina.

This Spinach and Ricotta Pie, is their take on a Ligurian style Torta Pasqualina filled with tasty spinach, chicory and ricotta.

This recipe is traditionally served at Easter time, but you can definitely enjoy this recipe all year round!

Check out @cuginicucina on Instagram for more traditional, Italian inspired, recipes!

500g	Ricotta
1 cup	Grated Parmesan
2 sheets	shortcrust pastry
1 x	large bunch of spinach (stems removed & roughly chopped)
1 x	medium chicory bunch (stems removed and roughly chopped)
2 x	large eggs
2 x	shallots, finely sliced
1 x	garlic clove, chopped
¼ cup	parsley, chopped
¼ cup	basil, chopped
1 tbsp	mint, chopped
1 tsp	ground nutmeg
1 x	egg, beaten for egg wash
	olive oil for frying
	salt and pepper for seasoning

1	Preheat the oven to 180c fan-forced. Wash the spinach and chicory thoroughly. Remove the stems and roughly chop the leaves.
2	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add the greens and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Strain all the liquid firstly in a colander, then place the greens in a tea towel and roll it up tightly to squeeze out any excess water.
3	Meanwhile, in a small fry pan, gently fry the shallots and garlic in olive oil until softened. Set aside.
4	In a large mixing bowl, add the greens, ricotta, eggs, parmesan, shallots, garlic, herbs and nutmeg. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix everything until well combined.
5	Prepare a 25cm pie dish. Line the base with shortcrust pastry and blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the filling to the pie dish. Top with the remaining sheet of pastry, fold over the edges to seal the pie. Brush lightly with the egg wash.
6	Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden and flakey. Remove the pie from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.