Torta Pascualina

I am convinced this pie, is the South American descendant of the Italian version with the same name. It is traditionally served during the Catholic week of Lent; hence the name. Torta Pascualina means Easter Cake (or Easter Tart) in Spanish (the Italian name is Torta Pasqualina). Obviously one is meant to eat this on Good Friday, but spoilt brats like myself don’t really care for religious observation. I eat what I want, when I want.
Originally, it was made with spinach. However proper, real spinach (not baby spinach) was not always available in Australia during past times, so silver beet was substituted. My mother tells me it can be very successfully made with frozen spinach- a convenient option, but I prefer to use fresh leaves.
I like a combination of fresh silverbeet and spinach, along with carrot, green peppers and peas for sweetness and texture.
Torta Pascualina is best eaten at room temperature. It is wonderful served at picnics and at family gatherings (religious or not).

Components
For the filling
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ green pepper, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
Olive oil and butter (20ml of each, or so)
650g silverbeet and spinach leaves, finely chopped
(Combined weight, I include some of the silverbeet stalk)
100g peas (I use frozen)
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
A pinch of chili powder
A pinch of sugar
Freshly grated nutmeg (I like plenty)
Sea salt
Black and white pepper, freshly ground
1 free-range egg
50g pecorino cheese, grated
2 tsp concentrated tomato puree

For the pastry
400g flour (Tipo 00)
1 free-range egg
20ml olive oil
Water
Sea salt

Process:
Preparing the filling
In a wide saucepan, soften the onion, garlic, carrot and green pepper in equal quantities of oil and butter. It will take about 20 minutes, done over a low heat-the aromatics should not brown. Add the silver beet, spinach, peas, herbs, spices and seasoning and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or so. The silver beet and spinach should cook right down, becoming dark green, smooth and sweet in flavour. Allow to cool. Check the seasoning- there should be plenty of nutmeg and pepper, with only a pinch of chili. Add the tomato paste, pecorino cheese and the egg. Set aside.

Preparing the pastry.
Mix all the ingredients together (add enough water to make a dough which is neither too soft, nor too hard). Knead for a few minutes until smooth. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for a while. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll into rectangular pieces (15cm by 35cm). My grandmother almost always uses the pasta machine to roll out pastries (the machine gives a uniform, smooth result), and thus I do the same.

Construction and Baking.
Pre-heat the oven to 200c.
Place one sheet of the rolled pasrty onto a greased baking sheet. Spoon one half of the filling mixture onto the pastry.
Flatten the mixture so that it is evenly spread out over the pastry. Make sure you leave about 1cm around the edge of the pastry. Dampen the edge of the pastry with water.
Drape the next sheet over the top of the mixture and gently stretch the pastry so that the 2 edges meet.
Press firmly all around the edges to form a nice tight seal. Dampen the edges again with water then fold the edge over and press down with a fork to double seal the pastry edge.
Repeat the process to make a second pie.
Glaze the tops with beaten egg and pierce a few air holes in the top of the pie.
Bake until golden- about 15-20 minutes.
Allow the “torta” to cool and cut into slices.
You can also make smaller individual pies (perfect for work lunches), not traditional but charming nonetheless.

Minestrone d'inverno

Lets get one thing straight, this is not an attractive soup. In fact, it is damned ugly to the eye. But do not allow looks to deceive you- it is beautifully sweet and full of flavour.
There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding as what constitutes “minestrone”.
In Australia people seem to think it’s a tomato flavoured broth with soggy pasta. This is so far removed as to what Italian minestrone is that I find it hilarious. Very simply, you choose the freshest of vegetables in season and simmer them with stock until you have a thick chunky soup. The result will be a delicious vegetable soup in which not one particular vegetable stands out. All the vegetables will be well cooked and almost falling apart, their flavours merging pleasantly.
Minestrone is prepared all year round. The time of year will dictate exactly what goes into the soup. Artichokes, asparagus, broad beans and spinach would go into a springtime minestrone. In summer you would make your minestrone with peas, new waxy potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini and serve it at room temperature with a spoonful of fresh pesto. During autumn you could use chestnuts, fennel, squash and wild mushrooms. And in winter you could try cavolo nero, leeks or savoy cabbage
I must admit I am not a fan of pasta in minestrone. I sometimes include rice (like they do in Lombardia) but this soup is so substantial, I often don’t. If you do decide to add rice, cook it separately and only mix it into the soup as you eat it. This way the rice will remain firm and wont become sodden left hanging around in the leftover soup.
And just one more thing, I have specified proper homemade stock in this receipt. Genuine stock will give the soup a luscious, velvety texture. I am not going to be a “Soup Nazi” and insist you use the real thing. You can use stock cubes- I promise I wont report you to the culinary police!

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
40g unsalted cultured butter
100g pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 red onions
5 carrots, peeled
5 celery stalks, peeled
2 leeks, white parts only
5 potatoes, peeled
½ savoy cabbage
1 bunch silver beet, rinsed and stalks removed
Fresh sage, chopped
2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Fresh stock, enough to cover the vegetables
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
Freshly grated Grana Padano, to taste

Method
Chop the vegetables into small cubes (about the same size as the cannellini beans). The cabbage and silver beet should be shredded finely.
In a large soup pot melt the butter with the oil over a low heat.
Begin by gently sautéing the pancetta in the butter and oil.
Add the vegetables to the butter, oil and pancetta in the order listed and sauté each one for a few minutes before adding the next vegetable.
When all the vegetables (except the cannellini) have been gently sautéed in the pot, add the sage, cover with stock and simmer gently for 1- 2 hours.
Add the cannellini and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
You can adjust the consistency to thicken, by pureeing a small amount of the soup, or by adding a touch of water to thin the texture.
Add Grana Padano to taste and check the seasoning. Serve in soup bowls, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and more Grano Padano.
This amount makes a big pot of soup, enough for many serves. You can leave out the pancetta if you are vegetarian. I like to add it because it adds a nice depth of flavour.

La Ribollita Estiva

I have written of this famous Tuscan soup in the past. Traditionally this thick winter soup is made with cavolo nero, beans and sturdy Tuscan bread. It is reboiled the following day, hence the name, “La Ribollita”. Ribollire translates to reboil from Italian to English.
Cavolo Nero or black cabbage is an assertive green leafed vegetable only found during winter. As it is clearly not winter in my part of the world, I have taken liberty to substitute cavolo nero with silverbeet, which incidentally is in season. The bunch I had was the greenest and freshest I have ever seen. It is such a pleasure to cook with fine produce.
I honestly don’t know what a Tuscan may think of my Ribollita Estiva, but I thought it was rather good, so without further due, here is the recipe.

Ingredients
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 or 2 celery stalks, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 bunch silverbeet, soaked to remove any dirt
2 x 400g cans Italian borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
400g can Italian tomatoes, chopped
30g tomato paste (concentrated tomato puree)
Chicken stock (fake is fine)
Herbs-basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage
200g crustless Tuscan style bread, torn into small pieces
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
As for most soups, sauces and stews, I begin by cooking the onion, carrot, celery and the chosen herbs with the olive oil, very slowly. I do this for about 30 minutes or until the onion begins to caramelize. This is one area in my life where I have patience. I know the time invested in slow cooking the base of vegetables will reward in plenty of flavour, to the finished dish. In Italian and Spanish cuisine this stage is known as “sofrito”.
In the meantime, shred the silverbeet leaves, and chop the stalks into cubes (about 1cm).
Add the silverbeet to the browned vegetables and toss about for a few minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste and enough chicken stock to submerge everything. Simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the beans and simmer for another 15 minutes. Leave the soup to rest in the fridge, until the following day.
When you are ready to eat, bring the soup to the boil, then adjust to a simmer.
I use the hand blender to puree a little of the soup, thus thickening it slightly and fusing the flavours together.
Add the bread, and break it up into the soup, using a wooden spoon. The bread will thicken the soup. Simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust with more stock or bread, to suit your desired texture. I like a medium thickness, but I have seen some very thick soups in Italian books.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with threads of peppery extra virgin olive oil and more freshly chopped herbs. Plenty for 4 people.
Note-Try to find a Tuscan style bread for this soup. The traditional bread of Toscana, contains little or no salt. But of course any good, sturdy bread will do.

2 for the price of 1

I am not a fan of leftover food (I do not understand how people can eat reheated pasta.Yuk!) But I certainly do not waste food when it is fresh and perfectly edible. And that includes silverbeet stalks. I used the leaves for my previous recipe and I did promise to post a recipe for the stalks. So here it is! We had this side dish last night with kangaroo fillets. But I think it would make a lovely accompaniment to fried eggs and a plate of jamon or prosciutto.

Silverbeet stalks with Red peppers and Pinenuts

Ingredients
Stalks from 1 bunch of silverbeet
1 red pepper, sliced 1cm thick
1 garlic clove, crushed but whole
20g cultured butter
4 anchovy fillets
1 tbsp of toasted pinenuts
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Method
Discard any stalks that are unhealthy looking.
Soak the stalks in water to dislodge any dirt.
Trim them into similar lengths, about 15cm or so. Cut them also into similar widths, about 1cm.
Steam them over water for 5 minutes.
In a wide pan, slowly melt the butter, with the anchovy and garlic. After a few minutes the anchovy will completely disappear into the butter.
Add the silverbeet stalks and red pepper slices.
Toss lightly and sauté for about 5 to10 minutes. Remove the garlic clove and discard.
Add a pinch of salt and some pepper and sprinkle with the pinenuts.
Quick, easy and cheap (just how I like it). Serves 2.

Greens & Beans

I love the combination of pulses and assertive green leaves, as the Italians like to cook. Today it is Borlotti beans and Silverbeet. But any combination will work-chickpeas and spinach, cannellini and cavolo nero and so on. So feel free to swap around the bean/leaves combo. The secret to this dish is the long, slow cooking of the onion. It really adds depth and sweetness, and when combined with butter really brings out a beautiful quality, to otherwise boring silverbeet. Serve this alongside almost any type of meat. I would just be as happy to eat this on its own. It really is that delicious.

Braised Silverbeet & Borlotti Beans

Ingredients
1 bunch of silverbeet
20g butter (I always use unsalted. I detest the flavour of salted butter)
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
I garlic clove, finely chopped
400g can of Italian borlotti beans ( I am sorry to say, but Australians do not do well in the canned vegetable department)
Salt
Fresh black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil, extra
Lemon (optional)

Method
You need to prepare the silverbeet first. Silverbeet usually comes in ridiculously large bunches-there is good reason for this. There is a lot of wastage.
Discard any withered or discoloured leaves. Also cut away all the stalk, all the way up the leaf.
Discard the stalks or keep them for soup (they are delicious baked with butter and Parmesan cheese, too)
Soak the leaves in a sinkful of coldwater to remove any dirt.
Slice the leaves thinly.
In a wide pan, cook the onion, butter and oil very slowly for 30 minutes. The onion will cook down considerably, and begin to caramelize.
Add the silverbeet, season and cover the pan. Braise it gently for 15 minutes. The leaves will wilt down considerably, as well.
Add the drained and rinsed beans 5 minutes before the end of cooking time.
Drizzle with more olive oil off the heat and spritz with lemon juice if so desired.

In my house this serves 2 (we devour this dish), but I would imagine this could serve 4, as a side dish.