Genoa, Liguria. The name references Easter (Pasqua) and the pie has been a Genoese Easter tradition since at least the 14th century, documented in Genovese household accounts.
Torta Pasqualina is a Ligurian Easter pie made from 33 layers of thin unleavened pastry (one for each year of Christ's life in tradition) encasing a filling of chard, prescinseua cheese, Parmigiano, marjoram, and whole eggs cracked directly into wells in the filling — the eggs remain intact when baked, so each slice reveals a whole egg yolk. A labour-intensive, architecturally ambitious baking project that is also a flavour masterpiece.
The chard filling is herbaceous, creamy from the curd, slightly sharp. The whole egg in each slice adds richness — the runny yolk breaks on the fork and enriches the bite. The layered pastry provides crunch and the background flavour of good olive oil.
The pastry is a simple flour, water, and olive oil dough — no fat in large quantities — stretched to paper-thinness before oiling and layering. The traditional 33 layers are mostly gestural today; serious versions use at least 10-15 layers. The filling uses chard (or artichokes in the Riviera variant) blanched, squeezed, and seasoned. The whole eggs are pressed into depressions in the filling after it is in the pastry shell — they cook to a firm white but runny yolk during baking. The top layers are brushed with oil and pinched at the edges to seal. Baked at 180°C until golden.
The key to the layered pastry is generous oiling between each sheet and stretching each sheet on the back of your hands like strudel dough. The prescinseua (Ligurian fresh curd) provides the characteristic tartness — substitute with ricotta mixed with a teaspoon of yoghurt for acidity. Marjoram is traditional in Ligurian herb work — do not substitute with oregano.
Pastry too thick — the filling is the star; the pastry should be delicate and flaky, not doughy. Not squeezing the chard dry enough — the filling becomes soggy and the pastry steams rather than crisps. Overcooking — the eggs should be just set in the whites, jammy in the yolk. Not enough oil between layers — the pastry sticks together and becomes a solid mass rather than separating into flakes.
Ada Boni, La Cucina Regionale Italiana; Elizabeth David, Italian Food