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sausage, swiss chard and ricotta torta |
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Friday, 04 January 2008 |
Sausage, Swiss Chard and Ricotta Torta
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I love to make this dish in the New Year when I’m burned out on holiday food. It’s so low-key: you can make it one day and eat it the next; it’s good for dinner, brunch, or lunch; and all it needs next to it is a salad. I adapted this recipe from Gourmet years ago and the taste is unforgettable—sort of like the best ravioli filling ever, inside a pie.
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serves 6
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prep time: 30 minutes |
bake time: 50 minutes |
Pastry for a double-crust pie (see note)
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1 pound)
1 yellow onion, chopped
Olive oil
1 pound Italian sausages (mild, hot, or a mix)
Salt and pepper
15 oz–container part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
2 eggs
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Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare or thaw pastry as necessary. Rinse chard leaves, trim discolored ends of stems, then chop leaves and stems.
In a wide saute pan or frying pan, cook the onion in about 3 tablespoons olive oil until soft. Slit sausage casings open and crumble meat into pan; cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned. Transfer sausage and onions to a large bowl with a slotted spoon; pour off fat in pan. Add another tablespoon or two of oil, then add the chard a few handfuls at a time, stirring between additions so that greens wilt a little to make room for more. When you have added all the chard, cover pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 5 minutes, until chard is soft. Transfer greens to the bowl with sausage, then season with salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl, beat together ricotta, cheese, and eggs, then stir this into the sausage-chard mixture.
Line a 9-inch pie plate with one circle of pastry dough. Pour in filling. Top with the other circle of pastry, tucking the excess under the edge of the bottom dough. With a fork or with your fingers, crimp the two crusts together. Cut a slit in the center of the top for venting.
Bake until golden brown, 50 minutes to an hour (I recommend placing pie pan on a baking sheet in case of drips). Serve warm or at room temperature. Torta keeps very well in the fridge and is even better the next day. |
To make this a complete meal: make a salad with some radicchio and crumbled feta in it; you can even add walnuts for extra-crunch and fiber.
Note: use homemade or purchased pie pastry dough (not puff pastry). If you live in the Bay Area, the best one to buy is FrenchPicnic, available in the frozen section of most good grocery stores. It’s locally made, all natural and all buttery.
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