DERBY PICNIC FOOD Swiss Chard + Ricotta Pie

Photo by Michaelhouse

Yesterday we had the Michaelhouse Hilton derby here in the Midlands. It's a major social event - think Henley-Wimbledon-Ascot with white marquees, strawberries 'n cream and all that, except it's Late Autumn and not mid Summer and we're all muffled up in beanies and arctic fleece, so warm picnic food is the order of the day.

We currently get huge bunches of squeaky-green spinach/swiss chard and we eat a lot of it. Mostly we have Tyler's Recipe creamed spinach with chops where a whole bunch just dissolves into a dark green creamy pile or we have Chicken Saag, both yum. I could eat chard forever and with anything.

One of my favourite food blogs is Mimi Thorisson's Manger. Set in a photogenic chateaux in the Medoc with lots of gorgeous almond-eyed enfants  and stunning photos of beautiful seasonal food - the blog is infinitely digestible along with some great recipes too. Ever on the lookout for things to do with spinach, I noticed this handsome Swiss Chard & Ricotta Pie a while ago on Mimi's blog  which is in fact Torta Pasquinlia, a popular Italian Easter dish.

I thought it just the ticket for our lovely big spinach bunch which weighs 350g as it goes - perfect for the recipe and we had it for lunch yesterday.

Michaelhouse won, btw.

JML

Torta Pasquinlia aka Chard + Ricotta Pie

350g Swiss Chard
150g Ricotta (I made my own with Gourmet Greek feta and smooth cream cream)
1/2 cup Parmesan/pecorino
2 x Puff pastry sheets (230g)
5 eggs
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Roughly chop up the chard and steam for 10 minutes. Once cool squeeze out all the liquid as much as possible or you will get a 'soggy bottom' pie! 
2. Mix the cheeses all together, add in one beaten egg and then the chard. Season well. 
3. Line a loaf tin with the first sheet of puff pastry leaving a 1.5cm frill around the edges
4. Spoon in the ricotta chard mixture
5. Make 3 wells with a spoon in the ricotta chard mix and break in 3 eggs into the spaces
6. Put the second layer of pastry, cut to size, on top of the pie and seal.
7. Decorate and put egg wash on top. just using a yolk gives lovely golden colour.
8. Bake in a 180C oven for 50-60 minutes. 

JML