P
Italian · Genova
Torta Pasqualina Genovese con Prescinsêua
Genoa's Easter tart — 33 paper-thin pastry sheets (representing the years of Christ's life) encasing a filling of wild chard, prescinsêua (Ligurian curd cheese), eggs, and Parmigiano. Each whole egg is nested into the filling before the final pastry lid, so the baked tart reveals intact yolks when cut. The pastry is almost architectural — each layer brushed with olive oil, the stack pressed paper-thin by hand.
I
The Market List
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For the pastry
500 g
plain flour
plus more for dusting
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
180 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
divided — some for the dough, the rest for brushing between layers
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
Your own market
200 ml
water
lukewarm
Your own market
For the filling
1 kg
wild chard (bietola selvatica)
blanched, squeezed completely dry in a cloth, finely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
500 g
prescinsêua
Ligurian curd cheese; see note on substitution
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
Parmigiano Reggiano
finely grated
Your own market
6
eggs
4 beaten into the filling mixture; 2 reserved whole for nesting into the tart
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
or to taste
Your own market
1 pinch
black pepper
freshly ground
Your own market
To finish
1
egg
beaten with a little water, for egg wash on the top layer
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Make the pastry dough. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then work in a little olive oil and enough lukewarm water to bring the dough together into a smooth, pliable mass. Knead for 8–10 minutes until the surface is silky. Divide the dough into 33 equal balls (or a minimum of 10–12 if practicality demands it), cover with a cloth, and rest for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it no longer springs back when pressed.
2
Roll each ball to translucency — through the sheet you must be able to read newsprint. Use a pasta machine at setting 8–9 for consistency. Keep the rolled sheets covered under a damp cloth as you work to prevent drying.
3
Prepare the filling. Ensure the blanched chard has been squeezed in a cloth until absolutely no moisture remains — press firmly and repeat. Combine the dry chard with the prescinsêua, grated Parmigiano, 4 beaten eggs, salt, and black pepper. Mix until homogeneous. The mixture must hold its shape when lifted on a spoon; any pooling liquid means the chard requires further pressing.
4
Oil a round tart tin generously. Lay down the first pastry sheet, letting the edges overhang the tin, and brush its entire surface with olive oil. Continue layering and brushing with oil — every single sheet, without exception. This is where the dish lives or dies: if any sheet is left uncoated, the layers fuse, the architectural separation is lost, and the pastry will not shatter when baked. Lay roughly half the sheets (16 or 5–6 in the shorter version) as the base.
5
Spread the filling evenly over the pastry base. Make two shallow wells in the filling and crack one whole egg carefully into each well, keeping the yolks intact. The eggs will continue to cook as the tart bakes and must remain soft-set — they are added at this stage, not earlier.
6
Layer the remaining pastry sheets over the filling, brushing each with olive oil as before. Trim the overhanging edges and crimp or fold them inward to seal. Brush the top surface with egg wash — beaten egg let down with a little water — to achieve a uniform deep-golden finish.
7
Bake at 180 °C for 45–50 minutes. The tart is done when the pastry is deep golden across its entire surface and emits a crisp, hollow sound when the top is tapped with a knuckle. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting with a serrated knife in a sawing motion, which cleaves the crisp layers cleanly without crushing the egg within.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Authentic prescinsêua sourced from a Ligurian producer; wild chard (bietola selvatica) foraged or from a specialist; Parmigiano Reggiano aged 24 months minimum; single-estate cold-pressed Ligurian olive oil for brushing.
02
Estate — Prescinsêua imported from Liguria; cultivated chard from a farmers' market; aged Parmigiano Reggiano DOP; a good Ligurian or Provençal extra-virgin olive oil.
03
Market — Prescinsêua approximated with two parts Greek yogurt, one part fresh ricotta, and a squeeze of lemon; chard from a supermarket, thoroughly dried; good-quality Italian Parmigiano; a clean, grassy extra-virgin olive oil.
04
House — Ricotta alone is an inadequate substitute and will cost the dish its defining tang; chard must still be pressed completely dry regardless of quality; any honest extra-virgin olive oil is acceptable for brushing, but a bland oil yields a paler, less aromatic crust.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Each raw pastry sheet is rolled to translucency — newsprint is legible through it.
◇Sight. The filling holds its shape on a spoon with no pooling liquid — chard has been pressed sufficiently dry.
◇Sight. Whole egg yolks nest visibly in their wells in the filling before the lid is applied, and remain intact.
◇Sight. The baked top layer is deep golden across its entire surface with no pale or uncooked patches.
◇Sound. The top pastry emits a hollow, crisp knock when tapped with a knuckle — the tart is done.
◇Sight. When cut with a serrated knife, the cross-section reveals intact, soft-set yolks surrounded by distinct, separated pastry layers.
◇Where it lives or dies. Every pastry sheet must be brushed individually with olive oil — uncoated layers fuse together, destroying the structural crispness that defines the tart.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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