Italian Savory Torte Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Unroll 1 tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of prepared pan to form a crust, sealing seams well. Bake until set, 10-15 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Drain on several layers of paper towels, blotting well. In a large bowl, whisk 6 eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper., Layer crust with half of each of the following: ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers and spinach mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture over top. Repeat layers; top with remaining egg mixture., On a work surface, unroll and separate remaining crescent dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle and seal seams; place over filling. Whisk remaining egg; brush over dough., Bake, uncovered, until a thermometer reads 160°, 1 to 1-1/4 hours, covering loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Let stand 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Mix flour, cornmeal, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat 2 eggs with 3 tablespoons cold water; stir into flour mixture until dough holds together. Add another tablespoon water if needed. Shape 2/3 of the dough into flattened round; repeat with remaining 1/3. Wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll.
• In another bowl, combine ricotta cheese, crumbled feta, Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, parsley, basil, and oregano until well blended.
• Have an 8 or 9 inch springform pan ready. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion of dough into a 15 inch diameter circle. Carefully place in ungreased pan; press lightly against bottom and sides. Trim overhanging dough to 1 inch from pan rim.
• Scatter half of the mozzarella over the bottom of the crust. Next arrange half the ham slices in an even layer. Spread with ricotta cheese mixture, then sprinkle with spinach. Cover with the remaining ham slices. Press down gently to pack layers. Add red peppers in a single layer, and top with the remaining mozzarella. Press down again.
• Roll out remaining dough to 8 or 9 inch circle. Place over filling to cover. Moisten edges, and seal crusts together. Crimp or flute edges. Crust should not extend above pan rim. Beat remaining egg, and brush over the crust. Cut several small vents in top crust for steam to escape.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until crust is deep golden brown and pulls away from sides. Cool in pan on wire rack 45 minutes. Remove pan sides; cool completely. Cut into 12 wedges. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Make the dough: Put flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir together 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 tablespoons oil, then pour over flour and mix until dough comes together in a rough ball. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, adding more flour if dough is sticky. Wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. (May refrigerate overnight and bring to room temperature.)
• Make the filling: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Working in batches, blanch a handful of greens at a time, dropping them into the water until just wilted, then cooling in a colander under running water. Divide greens into 4 balls and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Chop greens coarsely with a large knife, then squeeze again. There should be about 4 cups cooked greens.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wide pot over medium heat. Add onions and a little salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add greens, season generously with salt and pepper, and mix well. Turn off heat. Add nutmeg, ricotta and half the Parmesan and mix. Taste and adjust; it should be highly seasoned. Beat 4 of the eggs. Set aside 3 tablespoons beaten egg; add remaining beaten egg to greens and mix well. Let cool.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut dough into 4 pieces and form into balls. Roll out each ball into a very thin 12-inch circle. Place 1 dough circle on a 12-inch pizza pan lined with parchment. Brush lightly with oil, then lay another dough circle on top. Spoon greens evenly over dough to a 2-inch thickness, leaving a 1-inch border of dough. Smooth the surface. With a soup spoon, make 5 indentations in greens and crack a raw egg into each depression. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Cover with another dough circle and paint lightly with oil. Place last dough circle on top. Using a paring knife, trim any excess dough at perimeter of pie. Fold outer edges together and crimp to seal pie. Paint top with reserved beaten egg. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Using a paring knife, make 2 or 3 steam vents.
• Bake for about 45 minutes, until very well browned. Slide torta onto a cutting board and let cool slightly before slicing. May also be served at room temperature.

Steps:

• Beat neufchatel, parmesan, milk, and garlic with electric mixer until creamy.
• Spread cheese mixture evenly over bottom of clear glass serving dish.
• Spread pesto over cheese mixture.
• Sprinkle with tomatoes, olives, and pine nuts.

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• for the Spinach and Ricotta Torte Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add olive oil to skillet and over medium heat, saute garlic for 1 minute. Add spinach to skillet a little at a time until all 4 cups are wilted Remove spinach from heat and place on cutting board, coarsely chop Place spinach and garlic in large mixing bowl and add cheese and 1 egg, stir until well mixed. Using brush, coat a 9" pie pan with 1 tablespoon butter Line pan with phyllo pastry. Place edge of 3 or 4 layer thick phyllo on center of pan and cover toward edge allowing excess phyllo to hang over edge of pan. Repeat for the other half of pan. Brush inside of phyllo dough with butter. Scoop spinach and cheese mixture onto phyllo lined pan and fold overhanging edges of phyllo dough toward center to form a top crust. Beat remaining egg and brush outside of dough with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until crush is golden brown. for the Zucchini and Mozzarella Torte Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add olive oil to skillet and over medium heat, saute garlic and zucchini for 5-10 minutes until tender. Place zucchini and garlic in large mixing bowl and add cheese and egg, stir until well mixed. Using brush, coat a 9" pie pan with 1 tablespoon butter Line pan with phyllo pastry. Place edge of 3 or 4 layer thick phyllo on center of pan and cover toward edge allowing excess phyllo to hang over edge of pan. Repeat for the other half of pan. Brush inside of phyllo dough with butter. Scoop zucchini mixture onto phyllo lined pan and fold overhanging edges of phyllo dough toward center to form a top crust. Beat remaining egg and brush outside of dough with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until crush is golden brown. for the Broccoli and Sausage Torte Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly steam broccoli until tender. Allow to cool and then coarsely chop Add sausage to skillet and brown over medium heat. Add broccoli to sausage, and over low heat, use a fork to coarsely mash the broccoli and sausage together until fully incorporated. Place broccoli and sausage mixture in large mixing bowl and add cheese and egg, stir until well mixed. Line pan with phyllo pastry. Place edge of 3 or 4 layer thick phyllo on center of pan and cover toward edge allowing excess phyllo to hang over edge of pan. Repeat for the other half of pan. Brush inside of phyllo dough with butter. Scoop broccoli and sausage mixture onto phyllo lined pan and fold overhanging edges of phyllo dough toward center to form a top crust. Beat remaining egg and brush outside of dough with egg wash. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until crush is golden brown.