Torta pasqualina – Easter pie

Torta Pasqualina, or Easter Pie, is a well-known Italian Easter tradition. Originally from Liguria, in north-west Italy, it’s now popular all over the peninsula.

The original recipe contained artichoke, but quite common variations use chard leaves, or as in this case, spinach. This reminds me of the wonderful spinach and ricotta pies I used to eat in Venice as a teenager.

The pie is made with puff pastry, but in the past it’s said to have been made with thirty-three sheets of very thin pastry, one for every year of Jesus’ life.

The most important aspect of the torta pasqualina is the eggs baked inside. When you cut the pie you should see the egg sliced through the middle in what’s a beautiful and festive effect. To help with this, I always score a cross in the top of the pie so that you can see where to cut.