Savory Cheese Torte, or Torta di Formaggio: This Piemontese savory cheese pie makes for an extraordinary antipasto, though you have to remember to eat just a little lest you find yourself feeling full before the meal even begins. To serve 6:
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound (200 g) puff pastry (commercially prepared will be fine)
- 1/2 pound (200 g) mixed cheeses, including fontina, ricotta, and Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/2 pound (200 g) mild Italian sausage
- 3 eggs
- 10 ounces (250 g) spinach
- A clove garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Wash the spinach well, heat it in a pot with just the water it had on its leaves until it is well wilted, and squeeze out most of the water (you don't want it bone-dry). Mince it.
Skin the sausage, crumble it into a pan, and briefly sauté it to render out most of the fat, which you will want to discard.
Separate one of the eggs and set the yolk aside. Lightly beat the remaining eggs and white, and combine them with the sausage meat, minced spinach, and garlic. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Look at your filling, and estimate what size pan it will fill. Next, take the puff pastry and roll it out thinner, then divide it into two pieces, one that will be large enough to line the pan, and the other large enough to cover it all. Lightly butter the pan and line it with the larger piece of dough, then spread the filling evenly and cover it all with the second sheet, using the tines of a fork to weld the two pieces together and produce a pretty notched rim. Puncture the top in several places to allow steam to escape, brush it with the reserved egg yolk, and bake it for about an hour. Serve it sliced, either warm or cold.
Skin the sausage, crumble it into a pan, and briefly sauté it to render out most of the fat, which you will want to discard.
Separate one of the eggs and set the yolk aside. Lightly beat the remaining eggs and white, and combine them with the sausage meat, minced spinach, and garlic. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat your oven to 360 F (180 C).
Look at your filling, and estimate what size pan it will fill. Next, take the puff pastry and roll it out thinner, then divide it into two pieces, one that will be large enough to line the pan, and the other large enough to cover it all. Lightly butter the pan and line it with the larger piece of dough, then spread the filling evenly and cover it all with the second sheet, using the tines of a fork to weld the two pieces together and produce a pretty notched rim. Puncture the top in several places to allow steam to escape, brush it with the reserved egg yolk, and bake it for about an hour. Serve it sliced, either warm or cold.
