Always present on our table on Easter day, the Pasqualina cake is soft with a delicious filling of spinach, herbs and ricotta enclosed in a fragrant pastry: it is irresistible. Let’s see how to do it
Ingredients
Dough
250 gr flour
70 ml cold water
100 gr butter
a pinch of salt
Per il ripieno
500 gr fresh spinach
250 gr ricotta cheese
4 eggs plus 1 for the surface
2 table spoons parmesan
salt, pepper
nutmeg
Method
The shortcrust pastry can be made by hand or in a mixer. It is simple to make, and the best advice to have it perfect is to work it as little as possible. Put the flour, the butter cuts into small pieces, the water and the salt in the mixer or on a work surface and operate the mixer, or work by hand, until the dough is made. Wrap the dough with with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for an hour.
Filling
Take the ricotta and drain it in a colander. You must lose as much serum as possible. Clean, removing the hardest stalks, and wash the spinach thoroughly (at least twice). Remove them from the sink and put them in a large pot (without completely draining them). Add a pinch of salt and cook over high heat with the lid on for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze them very well. I use the potato masher or the salad drainer centrifuge if the basket has small holes.
In a bowl, sift the previously drained ricotta, add a pinch of salt and pepper, a grated nutmeg and 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. In a pan season the spinach with a drizzle of oil and a glove of garlic for a few minutes, remove the garlic and add them to the ricotta. Mix carefully and incorporate 2 eggs into the mixture.
Using a rolling pin, roll out 3/4 of the shortcrust pastry making a circle of dough large enough to cover the mold you have chosen. Arrange the dough making it adhere even to the edges.
Arrange the ricotta and spinach mixture inside the mold, level with a spoon and make two dimples inside which you will place two eggs; be careful not to break them.
Fold the edge of the dough inside. With the remaining dough, make another circle and close the cake. You can also decorate the surface with a bow of pasta or other. Brush with beaten egg and place in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden.
