The Piedmontese Green Pie (Turta verda) is a typical dish from the Asti region, especially from the city of Nizza Monferrato. It is a rice, herbs, and eggs pie, usually consumed during Easter lunch or found in the Easter Monday picnic basket. By using gluten-free breadcrumbs, this recipe is also perfect for celiacs.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 40 Minutes
Portions: 6/8 people
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian Regional
Seasonality: Spring, Summer

Ingredients

as needed olive oil
2.8 oz onion (cleaned)
1 cup rice
19.4 oz chard, cooked, boiled (frozen)
3 eggs
0.9 oz grated Parmesan cheese
7 oz smoked bacon (diced, optional to replace lard)
1 sprig rosemary
10 leaves sage (small)
1 sprig chopped parsley
1 clove garlic (small)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
4 cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (ground)
1 quart water (for the broth)
1 stock cube (beef broth base)
1 stock cube (vegetable broth base)
1 egg
0.9 oz grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons milk
as needed butter (to grease the pan)
as needed gluten-free breadcrumbs (to coat the pan)
1 sprig rosemary (spread some needles over the surface of the pie)

Steps

For the preparation of this pie, I used pre-blanched chard that I had frozen this summer. Once thawed, chop it very finely with a knife.
Put a bit of oil in a large pan, sauté the cleaned and finely chopped onion, then add the rice and toast it.
At this point, add the finely chopped herbs, the chard, the spices, and mix everything well.
Cook the rice by gradually adding the broth (I prepared it with one quart of water and two broth cubes), you might not need all the broth. The rice should be slightly al dente and brothy, it will take about 20/25 minutes of cooking. At this point, turn off the heat and let it cool.
Once cooled, add 3 eggs, 0.9 oz of Parmesan cheese, and mix well.
This step is absolutely optional. I added diced smoked bacon instead of the lard that was once used. You can omit this ingredient if you like.
Pour the mixture into a greased and breadcrumb-coated round pan with a diameter of 10 inches.
In a dish, beat the egg, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Pour over the egg mixture, sprinkle some rosemary needles. Place in the oven at 350°F for about 50/55 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven. Always perform the toothpick test, the pie should be rather dry inside.