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1
Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add the olive oil, then the lukewarm water gradually, mixing until a very soft, cohesive dough forms. Knead on an unfloured surface for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Divide into 33 balls of equal weight, cover with a damp cloth, and rest for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it no longer springs back when pressed.
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2
Blanch the chard in well-salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, and squeeze with both hands — then squeeze again in a clean cloth — until the leaves yield no further moisture when pressed hard. Chop finely. Combine with the drained ricotta, Parmigiano, and marjoram. Season with salt. The finished filling must feel dry and hold its shape when pressed; any residual wetness will prevent the pastry layers from separating and is the single most common cause of failure.
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3
Lightly oil a round baking tin, approximately 30 cm diameter and 5 cm deep. One at a time, lay a ball of dough on a floured cloth and stretch it by hand — lifting, rotating, and coaxing outward from the centre — until the sheet is paper-thin and nearly transparent; a sheet of newsprint held beneath it should be legible. Lay the first sheet into the tin, allowing overhang. Brush generously with olive oil. Repeat until 16 or 17 sheets line the base, brushing each with olive oil before adding the next. Pre-bake the lined base at 180 °C for 5 minutes, then remove. The base should appear just set and faintly dry on its surface.
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4
Spread the filling evenly over the pre-baked base. Press 6 evenly spaced wells into the filling with the back of a spoon, each deep enough to cradle a whole egg. Crack one egg into each well, taking care to keep each yolk whole. Season the eggs lightly with salt. This is where the dish lives or dies: the eggs must be cradled securely and surrounded with filling to prevent shifting, the yolks entirely unbroken — a broken yolk baked in will not hold the defined set the dish requires.
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5
Stretch the remaining 16 or 17 balls of dough into sheets as before. Lay each in turn over the filling, brushing generously with olive oil between every layer. Trim the overhanging pastry to a 2 cm border, then roll and crimp it inward to seal the pie completely. Brush the top surface with olive oil.
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6
Bake at 180 °C for 45 to 50 minutes. The pie is done when the top is uniformly golden and sounds hollow when tapped at its centre; the pastry layers should be visibly separated and crisp at the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before cutting — served hot, the yolks over-set on resting; served cold from the refrigerator, the flavours mute.