Easter Cake With Green Peas (Torta Pasqualina)
1 hour 40 min. Recipe Yield:
4 pcs Difficulty:
Medium recipe
Easter cake with green peas (Torta Pasqualina), a savory pie typical of Ligurian cuisine, usually stuffed with spinach, ricotta and eggs, is a must on the Easter menu. Ideal as an appetizer or for a trip out of town with friends or for Easter Monday with the family. But one Italian website provided a very interesting interpretation of this traditional pie. The spinach was replaced with green peas, the pie was not one, but 4 small portions and, accordingly, chicken eggs could no longer be used, they replaced them with quail ones. Bold and interesting, and most importantly, it is not nearly worse in taste than what is traditionally done in Liguria. These wonderful cakes can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, they can also be frozen and then reheated.
Recipe Ingredients
Cooking Recipe
The green pea Easter cake recipe is very simple. First you need to cook the dough. Pour into the mixer: flour, salt, diced cold butter from the refrigerator, thyme leaves (you can dry). After a small crumb forms, transfer it to a cutting board, slowly pour in cold water and quickly knead with your hands until a homogeneous dough is obtained. Then wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes.
While the dough is resting, cook the filling. Finely chop the shallot and fry in hot olive oil until translucent. Then put the peas in the onion and mix gently. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes, during which time the peas will be soaked with shallots, then let them cool.
For this recipe, it is better to take cow's milk ricotta, rub it through a sieve and add salt and pepper. Parmesan grate on a fine grater.
Add the cooled peas, grated parmesan to the grated ricotta and mix. The filling is ready.
Place the rested dough on a floured surface and roll out into a 3 mm thick layer. Place a 14 cm bowl on top of a sheet of pastry and cut out a disk around the bowl. Then, place each disc into 10.5 cm diameter molds so that the dough adheres well to the bottom and edges of the mold. Use a knife to cut off excess dough coming out of the mold. Combine the dough scraps into a ball, wrap with foil and remove for a while, after it will be needed.
Pierce the bottom of the dough with a fork, use two spoons to put a little freshly cooked filling. Smooth it out with a teaspoon and make a small well in the center. Carefully break the quail egg so that the yolk remains intact and place it in the prepared recess. Top the egg with a layer of filling to the edges of the form.
Roll out the previously set aside dough thinly, cut into thin strips and make a lattice on the surface of the cake. Cut off the excess dough and brush the surface with milk. Cooked cakes put in an oven preheated to 180°C (355°F) and bake for 45-50 minutes.