The Easter pie is a traditional recipe from Ligurian cuisine served at Easter, symbolizing tradition and the flavor of the region.
It’s a savory pie with chard or spinach, ricotta, and eggs wrapped in a crispy shortcrust pastry.
Simple to prepare and made with few ingredients, but really tasty and with a surprise effect.
In fact, when cutting it, everyone is surprised to find boiled eggs, which are added raw to the filling and cook in the oven with the rest of the ingredients.
It is usually served as an appetizer on Easter day, but for those like me who love it, it can also be prepared in spring on weekdays and served as a main dish, as it is a complete meal.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
Ingredients for preparing the Easter pie
- 2 1/4 cups type 1 flour
- 7/16 cup seed oil
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 tsp instant yeast for savory preparations
- 3/4 tsp fine salt
- 2 1/4 lbs chard
- 4 eggs
- 12 1/3 oz cow's milk ricotta
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan
- to taste fine salt
- 1 egg yolk
Tools for preparing the Easter pie
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Work Surface
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Cake Pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 Brush
Steps for preparing the Easter pie
To prepare the delicious Easter pie, start by cleaning and washing the chard well, removing the damaged parts. Then, blanch them for 5 minutes in a large pot with plenty of water. Drain very well with a colander and let cool. Once at room temperature, squeeze them well to remove all the water and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, pour in the flour, seed oil, salt, cold water, and instant yeast for savory preparations. Then mix coarsely with a wooden spoon and then pour onto a work surface and knead by hand until you get a compact dough. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for twenty minutes in the fridge.
After the resting time, divide the dough into two parts, one larger for the base and one smaller for the top.
Meanwhile, finely chop the chard and add the ricotta, grated parmesan, egg, and fine salt.
Mix everything with a fork until you get a homogeneous mixture.
Roll out the two dough pieces with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until you get a not too thin sheet.
Place the base on a 22 cm cake pan lined with parchment paper.
Fill almost to the brim, creating three evenly spaced grooves in the filling,
to insert the fresh eggs and cover everything with the other pastry layer.
Trim the excess that hangs over, roll the edges inward, and gently prick the surface with a fork.
In a cup, beat the egg yolk and, using a brush, brush the surface of the Easter pie and
bake at 350°F for 20 minutes and another 20 minutes at 340°F until lightly golden. Every oven cooks differently, so adjust if you need to leave it a few minutes more or less. Once done, take out and serve warm and…
Enjoy your meal from Barbara!
Storage and Notes
The Easter pie keeps in the fridge for two days. It is also excellent eaten cold.
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FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use both chard and spinach?
Yes, you can definitely use both chard and spinach or both while keeping the total amount specified.
Can I use store-bought shortcrust pastry?
Yes, of course.
