Mom’s Ligurian cake! Every time I bring it to the table, it is always a success, and I assure you that everyone asks for seconds!

We find many variants of Ligurian vegetable cakes, from the most classic made with only rice, milk, eggs, and Parmesan to those with added greens and various vegetables.

The base is a ‘pasta matta’ dough prepared with very few ingredients, flour, extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of white wine, and water.

The filling is based on potatoes, onions, chard, egg, and Parmesan!

In short, it’s really super easy but will allow you to bring a dinner to the table in a few minutes without too much effort. All wrapped in the dough called “pasta matta.”

This cake is perfect warm, but it is also delicious cold, perfect for picnics.

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 30 Minutes
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 6/8
Cooking methods: Electric oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

334.06 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 334.06 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 34.04 (g) of which sugars 1.86 (g)
Proteins 13.40 (g)
Fat 17.05 (g) of which saturated 5.99 (g)of which unsaturated 6.72 (g)
Fibers 2.77 (g)
Sodium 659.47 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients for the Ligurian Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
0.42 cups water
1 tablespoon dry white wine
2.4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch fine salt
3 potatoes (large)
1.76 lbs chard
2 eggs
1 white onion (can be replaced with a leek or spring onion)
3.5 oz fontina (or mozzarella or provola)
to taste extra virgin olive oil
2.5 oz grated Parmesan
salt
pepper

Tools

2 Pots
Pan
Rolling Board
Rolling Pin
Brush
Baking Pan round 24 cm
Bowl

Steps for the Ligurian Cake

First, cook the potatoes.
(I peeled and cut three large potatoes into 4 pieces).
Then, let’s move on to the chard.
Wash the chard and put them in a pot with a little salted water, then cook them for about ten minutes.
Drain the chard, squeeze them, and finely chop with a knife.
Slice the onion and sauté it in a pan with a bit of oil, add the chard and sauté them for a few minutes.
Mash the potatoes with a fork
Put them in a bowl along with the potatoes and let them cool.
Add the eggs and grated cheese.
Add some pieces of soft cheese if you like.
Mix everything and adjust the salt and pepper.
Cover and let it rest.
This is an easy and quick recipe.
Put the flour, salt, wine, water, and oil in a bowl and start mixing.
Finally, transfer the dough to a rolling board and knead energetically until you have a smooth and homogeneous dough.
Seal with food wrap for 20/30 min.
Roll out the ‘pasta matta’ into a very thin sheet.
Line a 24 cm diameter baking pan with it, slightly greased, and remove the excess parts which will be used for the top layer.
(If you want, you can overlap several layers of very thin sheets, each brushed with oil).
Fill with the potato and chard mixture, leveling it with a fork.
Roll out the remaining ‘pasta matta’ and cover the cake, folding the edges of the dough underneath.
Turn on the oven to 375°F, brush the cake with oil, and bake for 25-30 or until the surface is well crunchy.
Once cooked, brush again with oil, serve warm or cold.
The Ligurian Cake is ready.
Enjoy your meal.

Tips

‘Pasta matta’ is a basic dough of flour, water, wine, and oil.
Ideal for savory pies and strudel.

It’s a recipe I learned thanks to my mom, I must say it’s very similar to shortcrust pastry, the difference is in the absence of butter, which is replaced by water and oil.
Just roll it out thinly with a rolling pin for a crunchy result, otherwise, it will turn out softer.

In some parts of Italy, this dough is called ‘pulled dough’ because it is so elastic that it’s easy to stretch it thinly even just with the help of your hands.

The Ligurian Cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days. It can be reheated in the microwave.

If you prefer, even though the real recipe does not require it, you can replace the chard with spinach.

Also great with the addition of zucchini softened with onion.

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