I was inspecting the orto (vegetable garden) yesterday and to my delight I saw that the bietole (Swiss chard, a type of perennial spinach very popular here in Italy) is starting to grow back after its winter rest. I immediately thought of Torta Verde di Lucca (Lucca’s Green Pie), also known as Torta di Verdure (Vegetables Pie) or Torta d’Erbe (Green Vegetables Pie). In Lucca this is a very popular pie made from simple ingredients that would be available in the house of every contadino (peasant), but it’s not well known outside Lucca. Despite the name and the ingredients, Torta Verde di Lucca is actually a sweet pie. In other parts of Italy, if you ask for a Torta di Verdure or Torta d’Erbe, you’ll be given a savoury vegetable pie. So without further ado here’s the recipe for Torta Verde di Lucca.

Ingredienti per la pasta (ingredients for the pastry):

400 grammi di farina (14 oz plain flour)

150 grammi di zucchero semolato (6 oz caster sugar)

100 grammi di burro ammorbidito (4 oz softened butter)

vanillina (vanilla essence)

3 uova: 1 intero e 2 tuorli (3 eggs: 1 whole and 2 yolks)

Buccia di 1 arancia e 1 limone grattugiati (grated rinds of 1 orange and 1 lemon)

2 cucchiaini di lievito in polvere (2 teaspoons baking powder)

2 cucchiai di olio d’oliva (2 tablespoons of olive oil)

1/2 bicchierino di liquore a piacere (25 ml of your favorite sweet liqueur)

Put the flour on the work surface; make a well and add the eggs and all the other ingredients. Mix well, beginning with a fork and then with your hands, work quickly but don’t overwork the mixture. Make a ball and leave the dough to rest in a cool place.

Ingredienti per il ripieno (ingredients for the filling):

100 grammi di pane raffermo (4 oz leftover bread)

100 ml di latte (100 ml milk)

50 grammi di burro (2 oz butter)

100 grammi di zucchero semolato (4 oz caster sugar)

30 grammi di formaggio grattugiato: parmigiano e pecorino (1 and 1/2 oz grated cheese, a mixture of parmigiano and pecorino)

2 uova sbattute (2 eggs, beaten)

300 grammi di bietola tritate (12 oz Swiss chards, chopped, if not available you can use spinach)

1 ciuffo abbondante di prezzemolo (a handful of parsley, chopped)

50 grammi di uva passa (2 oz raisins)

50 grammi di canditi (2 oz candied peels)

50 grammi di pinoli (2 oz pine nuts)

1/2 bicchierino di liquore a piacere (25 ml of your favorite sweet liqueur)

1 pizzico ciascuno di sale, pepe, noce moscata e cannella (1 pinch of each of the following: salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon)

Soak the bread in the milk. In a large frying pan melt the butter, add the Swiss chard and the parsley and cook them for a few minutes until soft. Leave them to cool down. Squeeze the milk out of the bread, place it in a mixing bowl and add the cold Swiss chards and all the other ingredients, mix well. The mixture should be slightly runny. Grease a 30 cm pie dish, and dust it with flour. Roll out the pastry until it’s wider than the pie dish. Line the dish with the pastry and pour the filling mixture into it. Trim the pastry and with the leftovers make some flat strips; use them to decorate the pie with a crisscross pattern. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C degrees, 350F, or Gas Mark 4, for about 1 hour, until the filling is firm and the pastry golden. Serve cold.

Buon appetito!