Easter Swiss Chard and Egg Pie / Torta Pasqualina

April 11, 2022

This is a very simile pie to the one that has already been on the blog, where I prepare it with spinach. Using a round baking dish for this pie is more traditional and it’s actually easier to use than a rectangular one.

For the pie:

  • 700 g of swiss chard leaves
  • 200-250 g of ricotta (drained of excess water and pressed through a sieve for extra creaminess)
  • 2 heaps tablespoons of Greek yogurt, full fat
  • 70 g of grated parmesan 
  • a few fresh oregano or marjoram leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 round or rectangular sheets of already bought puff pastry (depending on the shape of your baking dish)
  • 1 egg 
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • a few pinches of nutmeg to taste
  • 4 eggs (for wells)
  • 1 small egg lightly beaten with a splash of milk to wash the pastry before baking

To prepare the filling:

Wash the leaves carefully and cut off any hard stems.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add some salt and after that the spinach leaves. 

Boil them for a few minutes until they start turning soft (about 3-5 minutes or so). Once the leaves have turned soft, drain them in a colander and run cold water over them. Toss the cooked leaves and check if they are cold.

Wait for 30 minutes allowing the water to drain from the leaves. Squeeze out very well the remaining liquid with your hands, it is a very important step, otherwise you risk your pie turning  watery.

Finely chop the boiled swiss chard leaves.

In a large bowl combine all the filling ingredients (apart from the 4 eggs) together, adjusting the seasoning to your liking.

To prepare the pastry:

Roll out one puff pastry on a floured surface and cut a circle large enough to to fit a 24 cm spring form cake tin with a little of the pastry overflowing the edge.

Line the baking tin with a sheet of baking paper. Next line the pastry inside the tin pressing gently to all the edges.

To assemble the pie:

Roll out the remaining pastry on the floured surface, cut a ring large enough so it is sufficient enough to cover the tin but not bigger than that.

Fill the pastry case with two thirds of the swiss chard filling, even out the surface. Gently cover everything with the rest of the filling.

Fit the remaining pastry circle on top and press gently. Once that is done, brush the top of the pie with the whisked egg.

With a sharp knife make a few incisions on the top of the pie to allow the steam to escape. 

Bake in the preheated oven at 180 C for about 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is baked through.

Take the pie from the oven and leave to cool for about 30-40 minutes before serving.