Recipe: Torta Valdostana

I like pie. Not the sticky and sweet American version, but the salty, meaty, pastry-wrapped kind popular in various forms around Europe. Back in Britain, it was the bacon and egg, the steak and kidney, the chicken and mushroom, not forgetting, of course, the king of pastries; the glorious steak pasty. In Italy, I’ve found the hot sections at my local supermarkets no less appealing, if a little unfamiliar.

In supermarket chain Esselunga, I discovered something of a treat – the Torta Valdostana. I knew torta meant cake, and must extrapolate out to pie. Valdostana required some googling. Turns out, Valdostana is a cheese from the Valle d’Aosta in northern Italy, with qualities similar to Emmental. The pie itself, traditionally, is made with onion, the aforementioned cheese from which the pie gets its name, and prosciutto cotto, which the British would recognise as good old sliced ham. This differs from the Esselunga version, however, which forgoes the onion for a layer of spinach and egg, and I found very appealing both in appearance and as a component, so the following recipe seeks to emulate that version.

The pastry of the pie is unusual to someone used to making pastries out of butter and lard, in this case using olive oil as the fat component, and is quite tricky to work with, especially when you don’t have a rolling pin and have to use a wine bottle instead. The effort is worth it, however; unlike a short pastry made with butter or the robust pastry made with lard, you end up with a pastry that forms two layers as it cooks – an internal layer with a pleasant bite, and the external layer that flakes away gently and gives a fantastic top texture. I got the basics of the pastry here - however I opted to double the amount of flour and tweak the oil amount slightly, which is why I give a mass for oil rather than a volume.

The Recipe (Serves 4-6):

For the Pastry:

400g Plain White Flour

140g olive oil

4 tbsp Milk

4 eggs

Salt

For the Rest:

200g (approx.) Unsmoked sliced ham

200g Valdostana cheese (I am pretty sure this cheese is hard to source outside of Italy, Emmental will substitute just fine)

4 cubes chopped frozen spinach, defrosted

2 eggs

Salt

Pepper

A medium oven-proof dish

(It is worth noting that the quantities for the fillings rely on my memory, because it is not in my nature to take the care to write this stuff down as I cook, so you may need a little more!)

To make the pastry:

For ease of making, I recommend splitting the ingredients in half, and making two separate batches of pastry (they will form the top and bottom half later), so you’ll need to do this section twice!

1.       Sift 200g of flour into your mixing bowl along with a good pinch of salt

2.       Make a well in the middle and add 70g oil, an egg and an egg yolk, saving the whites for later

3.       Combine the ingredients by hand, adding two tablespoons of milk as you go

Behold, the mighty mixing claw

4.       Once the ingredients are properly mixed, form into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour

For the rest:

Once your pastry has had a chance to chill, you’re ready to make the pie.

1.       Beat two eggs lightly with a fork, adding a good pinch of salt and pepper, and squeeze as much water as possible from the spinach, then stir it into the egg

2.       In a frying pan, heat some olive oil over a medium heat

4.       Carefully pour the mixture into the hot pan, making sure to distribute the spinach evenly, and fry until the egg is cooked (depending on the size of your frying pan, you may want to grill the top of the egg to help it set. Once it's done, leave it aside to cool.

5

While the egg cools, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients. Grate your chosen cheese, and get the ham open before your hands get too oily, or you risk throwing it at a wall like I did.

1.       Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ gas mark 4

2.       Flour your work surface and rolling pin, and roll out the first half of your pastry so that you can cover the bottom and sides of your ovenproof dish. The pastry is oily and splits easily as it thins, so just be patient, it can be repaired once you’ve got it in the dish. I found it easiest to transport by wrapping it around the rolling pin rather than trying to lift it by hand!

3.       Place the egg and spinach mixture into the pie. Depending on your dish, you may need to cut it into shape – try to cover as much of the bottom of the pan as possible.

4.       Next, layer the ham over the egg

5.       Finally, place the cheese on top. Try to keep it away from the edges of the pastry, so that you can seal the pie in a moment

6.       Roll out the second half of the pastry, place it on top, and press the edges of the two layers together to seal them

7.       Lightly wash the top with the leftover egg whites from earlier

8.       Cook for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown

...texture like sun, lays me down...

You have to admit, it's a great photo

And there we go. If you’re interested, the greens in the photograph are fresh broad beans, mixed with a little oil and balsamic vinegar.

As a pastry fan, I really enjoyed making the Torta Valdostana; in a few articles time, expect a pasty version to surface.

Ciao tutti!