Swiss Chard & Ricotta Crostata

Swiss Chard & Ricotta Crostata
A Beautiful Savory Free Form Pie!
Difficulty: Moderate
Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Serve With A Hot Bowl Of Soup!

 

Ingredients
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch lengths
salt
2 cups fresh ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1 egg
Pinch cayenne pepper
Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 2 tbsp water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large skillet add some olive oil to coat pan, add the garlic and crushed red pepper and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the garlic has becomes slightly tender. Add the Swiss chard leaves and season the leaves with salt and saute until they are very soft and wilted. Remove from the heat and allow the Swiss chard to cool. In a large bowl combine the ricotta, Parmesan, mascarpone cheese, egg, cayenne and the Swiss chard mixture. Mix to thoroughly combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

 Cooking Tools
Parchment lined sheet pan or pizza pan
Food processor

Pastry Dough
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp coarse salt 
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 
3 tbsp ice water

Directions
In a food processor, pulse flour and salt to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 3 tbsp more water, 1 tbsp at a time). Do not over mix. Form dough into a thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

To Assemble:
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let warm up for about 10 to 15 minutes, this will make it really much easier to roll out.  dust a large clean work surface with flour and roll the dough into a large circle about 1/4 thick. Transfer the dough to a large sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Lay the dough out flat. Put the filling in a large circle in the center of the rolled out dough leaving a 3 to 4-inch border of dough along the outside edge. Fold the dough up around the filling. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until the crust is firm and golden about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Serves 6