Mini pasqualina tart parcels

Name: Mini pasqualina tart parcels
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Puff pastry 1 lb; Chard 1.5 lbs; Eggs 6; Cow's milk ricotta cheese 1 ¾ cup; Pecorino cheese ¼ cup; Nutmeg to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Egg yolks 1; Whipping cream 1 ½ tsp

Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Makes: 6 pieces
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

One of the most traditional Italian Easter dishes is the pasqualina tart, a savory chard tart with soft layers of puff pastry and symbolism linked to the egg hiding inside. But, if the original recipe seems like a lot of work to you, here’s a simple, quick alternative that even budding chefs can make: mini pasqualina tart parcels! The chard and ricotta filling remains faithful to the original, unlike the version with peas we showed you in the past, while the changes come in the form of the puff pastry casing and single-portion format, perfect for an Easter picnic. And what about the egg, you’re probably thinking? Of course, we couldn’t leave out the quintessential Easter symbol, so don’t worry... you’ll just have to wait for the first bite to savor it in all of its soft goodness! If you’re looking for an alternative appetizer for your Easter lunch or a snack to take along for your Easter picnic, these mini pasqualina tart parcels will be the perfect option.

INGREDIENTS

Puff pastry 1 lb (460 g)

Chard 1.5 lbs (670 g)

Eggs 6

Cow's milk ricotta cheese 1 ¾ cup (270 g)

Pecorino cheese ¼ cup (30 g)

Nutmeg to taste

Fine salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

For the wash: Egg yolks 1; Whipping cream 1 ½ tsp (8 g)

Preparation

How to prepare Mini pasqualina tart parcels

To make the mini pasqualina tart parcels, first clean the chard by removing the toughest part of the stem 1, then chop the leaves roughly and wash under running water 2. You should end up with around 1? lbs (600 g) of clean chard. Cook the chard in salted boiling water for around 3-4 minutes 3.

Meanwhile, boil the eggs as well: Place in a saucepan with plenty of cold water, turn on the heat 4, and cook for 8-9 minutes from when the water comes to a boil. Once the chard is cooked, drain and cool under running water 5, then transfer to a tall, narrow container and blitz with an immersion blender 6.

Empty the blended chard into a bowl and add the ricotta 7, grated Pecorino 8, grated nutmeg 9, salt, and pepper.

Stir well to combine and set aside 10. Once the eggs are cooked, cool under running water 11, then shell carefully and set aside in another bowl 12.

Now you’re ready to assemble your mini pasqualina tart parcels: Unroll the first sheet of puff pastry and divide into 6 equal rectangles measuring around 4x5 inches (11x12 cm) 13. Place a spoonful of the chard mix in the middle of one of the rectangles 14, arrange a hard-boiled egg on top 15, and try to compact the filling a little by pressing down gently with your hand.

Add another spoonful of the chard mix on top of the hard-boiled egg 16, then cover with another puff pastry rectangle and press down carefully around the edges to seal 17 the tart. Fold the edges up toward the center to make sure that the filling won’t come out during cooking 18, and then repeat these steps with the second sheet of puff pastry. You’ll get 6 parcels in total.

Once they’re ready, transfer the parcels to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk the egg yolk and cream 19 to create a wash you’ll use to brush the parcels. Bake in a conventional oven preheated to 390°F (200°C) for about 25 minutes, on the middle rack, until the surface has turned golden brown. Take your mini pasqualina tart parcels out of the oven 20 and let them cool before serving and enjoying 21!

Storage

The mini pasqualina tart parcels can be kept in the fridge for up to two days. It’s possible to freeze them after baking them and letting them cool.

Tips

If you prefer, you can replace the chard with spinach. Otherwise, you can use radicchio, but in this case, we recommend chopping it finely with a knife and mixing it into the ricotta raw, without boiling it first.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.