One of my favourite spring classics is pizza rustica, a savoury pie. It’s made with ricotta, pecorino, eggs and silverbeet.
SERVES: 6-8
PREPARATION: 20MIN
COOKING: 40MIN
SKILL LEVEL: EASY
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour
- 75 ml of extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp white wine pinch of salt
- 3-3½ tbsp of cold water
- 1 egg mixed with
- 2 tbsp of milk
Chard filling - 1bunch Swiss chard or silverbeet, well washed and central rib removed
- 400 g fresh full-cream ricotta, well drained
- 4eggs
- ½ cup(150 g) diced salami or soppressata (omit for a vegetarian version)
- salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Resting time 30 minutes
- Cooling time 30 minutes
- Place flour, olive oil, wine, salt and 3 tablespoons of water in a food processor and pulse 10-12 times or until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the remaining water if the dough is too dry. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and press it together with your hands. Shape the dough into a disk, cover it in plastic film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the meantime, make your filling.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Grease and flour a 20 cm tart tin.
- To make the filling, blanch the chard or silverbeet leaves in salted boiling water for 2–3 minutes. Drain, then plunge them into ice-cold water to preserve their intense emerald hue. Drain again and set aside. Place the ricotta in a large bowl and beat until creamy. Add the eggs and salami or soppressata (if using) and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the cooked chard.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it to 3-4 mm thick. Gently place it in a greased and floured tart tim and trim the edged, reserving the scraps for later. Put the filling into the tart shell, decorate the top with a lattice pattern using the reserved pastry scraps, then brush with egg wash. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin before serving.
Note
- You can make the pastry the day before and keep it in the fridge, well wrapped in plastic film. Allow it to come to room temperature before rolling it out.
Cook’s notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.