Ligurian vegetable pie

Ligurian vegetable pie

It's a typical Ligurian pie which  you will not find in other Italian regions. Stuffing ingredients can change a little bit depending on the season, for example you can add tender artichokes or substitute chards  with spinaches or with courgettes (in this case you must not use the ricotta cheese)

The recipe that I suggest in this cooking class is the recipe that my grandmother hand me down, the same recipe that she has used for about 50 years. The torta verde, as all savored Ligurian pies (focaccia, pizza all'Andrea etc..), can be served as a  starter, an appetizer or a snack and it is also perfect for parties. The “torta verde” is a percfect synthesis of the Ligurian hinterland way of cooking which essentially uses herbs for making yummy dishes

Ingredients for 6 persons

stuffing

           1  kg fresh chards

         1  onion

        2  courgettes 

        300 gr ricotta cheese

            3  eggs

        1 generous handful of grated parmesan cheese

    extravergine olive oil

  salt

  pepper

  marjoram ot thyme

dough

         250 gr flour “0”

         1/2  coffee cup of extravirgin olive oil

         water

         salt

 cooking steps

stuffing

1. clean the chards
2. take a big pan and cook the chards in abundant and salted boiling water for about 10'

1. squeeze well and make a ball with the chards 
   
2. roughly chop the chards
3. chop the onion
4. slice the courgettes
5. heat two spoons of extravirgin olive oil in a large nonstick pan then add the chopped onion
6. stir it until the onion begins to brown slightly

1. add the courgettes and toss it, let it cook for 5 minutes
2. add the chopped chards, salt and pepper, then stir-fry  for about 5'
3. add the fine salt
4. turn the flame off

  

while waiting for the chards to cool off you can make the dough

1. tip the flour onto a kneading table
2. then arrange the flour so that it form something similar to a  vulcano (in Italian recipies the term is  “a fontana”) and put the salt, the oil and the water poco a poco into the middle of it.
3. knead the dough until it becomes smooth
4. make a ball with the dough and wrap it in a dishcloth
5. let it rest

  

stuffing

1. gently whisk the eggs with the marjoram, a little bit of salt and pepper, the parmesan cheese and the ricotta cheese until you it gets homogeneous
2. add the chards and the courgettes
3. gently stir

  

finally

1. oil a baking pan
2. stretch the dough in the baking pan including sides
3. make some holes with a fork
4. tip the stuffing onto it
5. cover the stuffing with another thin dough layer
6. put it into the hot oven (180°) and bake until it becomes sligtly brown

cut and serve tepid or cold (it's very good also the day after)