Pasqualina Pie: original recipe with cheese and wild greens. Indeed, I don’t use ricotta or puff pastry, I prefer the “pasta matta” (crazy dough), the same I use for strudel or various pastries.
The Pasqualina pie is a unique delicacy. I am fortunate to be able to gather wild herbs directly in my garden, far from traffic and pesticides. I let a lot of wild growth so I can consume a wide variety of herbs and vegetables. Today I gathered a mix of: dandelion, borage, St. Peter’s wort, silene and livertin; then I added spring onions with all the green, a clove of garlic, and the cheese produced by Bricco della Croce.
A savory pie of Ligurian origin, delicious and rich in aromas. It is often found among appetizers even here in Piedmont, but the more common puff pastry is used, while the original recipe uses “pasta matta”, simply made with flour, water, oil, and salt. The wild herbs do the rest together with the cheese, which almost everyone replaces with ricotta. Having the fortune of having a son who produces them, I naturally use them for good quality cooking.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter Monday, Winter, Spring
Ingredients
All simple and fragrant ingredients.
- 1 block pasta matta (Same amount for a 10-inch diameter pie dish.)
- 1.1 lbs borage (dandelion, silene, St. Peter's wort, livertin.)
- 3 fresh spring onions (With all the green)
- 1 goat cheese (Roccaverano DOP)
- 4 eggs (to create the filling of the dimples)
- 2 eggs (For the filling)
- as needed olive oil (To sauté the greens in the pan)
- 1 clove garlic
- as needed salt
Tools
A bowl for mixing, a rolling pin for rolling out the dough, or a stand mixer to knead and roll.
- Bowls
- Rolling Pins
- Stand Mixers
- Pans
- Pans
Steps
I gathered my herbs, so I started from afar…
Combine all the ingredients and make a nice block of “pasta matta”, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour. In the video all the steps.
In the meantime, after thoroughly cleaning all the wild vegetables and blanching them for five minutes, chop the spring onions and sauté them in a pan with a little oil.
Then add the well-drained vegetables, salt, and sauté them for about ten minutes. Coarsely blend them together with the garlic clove, add the cheese and the two eggs…
Roll out the dough and line the pie pan in a double layer with very thin sheets. If using pasta rollers, set them to number 7 or 8. Pour the mixture and create 4 dimples to place the eggs.
Close the pie well and brush with a little milk. Bake at 392°F for about thirty minutes.
The remaining dough can be used to create filled pastries. A real treat.
A portion of the pie: tasty, colorful, fragrant!
Pasqualina pie: old recipe.
Some advice for you:
Ortensio Lando described Pasqualina pie in the 16th century in his “catalog of inventors of things to eat and drink.” The Pasqualina pie, of Ligurian tradition, seems to have its origins in the 16th century and was called “gattafura”; it brings with it all the scents of a land perched between sea and mountains. The old recipe required the use of goat cheese, flavorful and fragrant. Puff pastry has been used for many years, but once, and still in many places, it is prepared with “pasta matta,” very simple to prepare and less greasy than puff pastry. It can be stored in the refrigerator and can also be frozen. Excellent as an appetizer. Registered as PAT traditional product.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use puff pastry?
Yes, but the result will be different from the original recipe.
Can I use spinach or chard?
Yes, of course. Naturally, the flavor will be different, but Pasqualina pie includes these vegetables.
Is Pasqualina pie eaten hot or cold?
Excellent both hot and cold.
Secrets for a perfect pie?
Create many thin layers. Rich and creamy filling.
