Spinach Cheese Onion Rice Torte Recipes

SPINACH-RICE TORTA SQUARES

Steps:

• Position rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 325°; lightly oil a 13x9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Tilt dish to coat with the crumbs, and tap out the excess.
• Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat; add in the rice and decrease heat to medium.
• Cook, uncovered, until the rice is tender (about 16 minutes); drain well and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add in the onions.
• Stir/saute 6 minutes or until the onions are tender.
• Add in the garlic; stir until it gives off its aroma, about 1 minute.
• Add in the spinach; cook, stirring often, just to evaporate any remaining liquid, about 3 minutes; set mixture aside.
• In a big bowl, whisk the eggs, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper together; add in the rice, spinach/onion mixture, 1 cup of parmesan cheese, and the cheddar cheese; mix well.
• Spread mixture in the baking dish; sprinkle remaining parmesan on top.
• Bake until the torta feels firm when pressed in the center, about 45 minutes.
• Cool completely in the dish; cut the torta horizontally into 6 equal strips, then vertically into 9 strips to make 54 pieces.
• Arrange on a serving platter; serve at room temperature.

TORTA DI RISO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush a pie plate with 1 tablespoon olive and dust with 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir leeks with a pinch of salt in hot oil until leeks are soft and sweet, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir garlic into leeks and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir leek mixture, rice, spinach, 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, eggs, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Transfer spinach-rice mixture to the prepared pie dish and smooth the surface with a spatula; dust the top with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until torta is lightly browned around the outside and firm to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes.

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.

SPINACH AND ONION TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 10-inch tart pan and line it with the pastry. Keep it in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
• Steam the spinach above an inch of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, until wilted. You will probably have to do this in batches. I like to use a pasta pot with an insert for steaming spinach, as I can get a lot of it into the insert. Rinse briefly with cold water, squeeze out excess water and chop medium-fine.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it is tender and beginning to color, about 8 minutes. Add the spinach, thyme and salt and pepper to taste, and stir together. Remove from the heat.
• Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add salt to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon) and whisk in the milk. Stir in the onion and spinach mixture and the cheeses. Scrape into the pastry-lined tart pan. Place in the oven and bake 40 to 45 minutes, until tart is set and beginning to color on the top. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or room temperature.