Torta di Erbi alla Lunigiana

Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Add all the wild herbs and blanch until fully wilted — nettles and chard require 2–3 minutes; borage and sorrel, 1 minute. Drain, then spread on a cloth and squeeze with both hands until completely bone-dry; no moisture should remain. Chop finely. The herbs are ready when the mass is tight, dark, and cohesive rather than wet.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and water. Work briefly until a smooth, pliable dough forms — it should come away cleanly from the hands. No resting is required. Divide into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.

Mix the chopped herbs with the ricotta, eggs, Parmigiano, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Fold in the toasted pine nuts. Taste before adding any salt — the herbs and Parmigiano carry natural salinity. The filling should be dense and hold its shape when lifted on a spoon; if it slackens, the herbs were insufficiently dried.

Heat the oven to 190 °C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger piece of dough to 2 mm — no thicker; thick pastry overwhelms the herb filling. Line a 24 cm tart tin, letting the excess hang over the edge. Spread the filling evenly across the base. Roll the second piece of dough to the same 2 mm thickness and lay it over the filling. Press the edges together and trim or crimp to seal. Pierce the lid several times with a fork. This is where the dish lives or dies: pastry rolled too thick or a filling carrying residual moisture will prevent the base from setting, leaving the tart soft and structurally unsound.

Bake at 190 °C for 30–35 minutes. The tart is done when the pastry is uniformly golden and a skewer inserted through one of the fork holes comes out clean and dry.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature on a rack before cutting. The herb oils integrate and the pastry firms as the tart cools; the flavour at room temperature is markedly more composed than when warm.