Breakfast & Brunch, Main Courses, Recipes, Sides, Salads & Starters
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Italian Savory Pie

Perfect as appetizer or main dish with a side of crunch lemony salad and a chilled glass of wine this pie will steal your heart, that’s how good it is!

I made a sweet onion jam and it elevated the flavors so much so don’t skip the step! It takes little time and you can make more and store in the fridge to use in sandwiches and burgers…yammm!!! Make the onions first so they have time to cool, then the pastry and finally the ricotta filling.

The crust is so flaky and easy to make. A tip I want to give you regarding the pastry is, before placing it in the fridge to rest, shape it as a disk and not as a ball , this will make shaping much easier. Also, make sure the ingredients are all very very veryyy cold 🙂 let me know if you try it!!

For 2-4 people

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup grated parmigiano, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 100 gr butter, very cold cut into small cubes
  • 6 tablespoons ice cold water

For the filling:

  • 2 zucchinis, sliced into circles very thinly (you can also add thinly sliced eggplants)
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced into circles
  • 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary and thyme
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 180-200 gr Ricotta
  • 1/2 cup grated parmigiano
  • 1 big onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • A knob of butter
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the egg wash: 1 egg plus 1 tbsp of water

Method:

Jammy Onion:

  • In a pan on low heat add the butter, olive oil, onions, brown sugar and cook for around 8-10 minutes.
  • Start adding water, 3 tablespoons at a time, waiting for the water to be absorbed after each addition.
  • When the onions are completely cooked, sticky and golden, around 40 minutes, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

Pastry:

  • In your food processor add the flour, parmigiano and salt. Pulse a couple of times to make sure all is combined.
  • Now add the butter and pulse 4-5 times.
  • Now add the water and pulse again 4-5 times. It will look like wet grainy sand.
  • Tip everything on your counter and bring together using your hands but you have to work quickly and most importantly don’t knead the dough.
  • Divide it in two portions, place each on cling film, flatten in the shape of a disk, cover well and place in the fridge to rest at least 20 minutes.

For the filling:

  • In a medium size bowl add the ricotta, sundried tomatoes, parmigiano, herbs, salt and mix well.

Assemble the pie:

  • On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 20 cm circle and transfer to your baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Divide the onion jam between the two pies and evenly spread over the bottom leaving a 3 cm boarder.
  • Top with the ricotta mixture and carefully spread over the onions.
  • Place the zucchini attractively on top of the ricotta starting from the outside edge alternating with the tomato slices.
  • Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.
  • Brush crust with the egg wash.
  • Bake in preheated oven on 180-200 for around 25 minutes or until the crust is nice and tanned.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.

Buon Appetito!

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