Turta de gee is the Genoese version of chard pie, a traditional Ligurian recipe which can be found in almost all fried food shops (sciamadde) in the city but which can easily be prepared at home.
In my opinion it is very good and represents that feeling of Liguritudine which warms my heart!
All our savoury pies have ancient roots. They probably derive from preparations similar to stuffed focaccia. Pastry cases were stuffed with vegetables and other ingredients for ease of use by shepherds or farmworkers who ate away from home.
Unlike the better-known Easter pie, turta de gee is prepared with raw vegetables and without eggs. Its main characteristic is a double layer of filling enclosed between two sheets of “pasta matta”: with the chard below and the prescinseua on top.
If you are not from Genoa, you may not be able to find prescinsua which is an acidic soft cheese with a curd-like consistency that we use in almost all fillings. It can be substituted with ricotta mixed with yoghurt.
This savoury pie must not be allowed to rise too much and can be cooked in either a round or a rectangular pan. With the pasta matta dough, made only with flour, water and strictly extra virgin olive oil, thin sheets (one or more) of pastry are rolled out to produce a veil-like covering, making the Genoese chard pie light, crumbly and delicious!
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Ingredients
Pasta matta
Filling
Tools
Steps
Pasta matta
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to obtain a smooth and flexible dough. Make a loaf shape, wrap in transparent film and leave to rest for at least half an hour.
Filling and cooking
While the dough is resting, wash and dry the Swiss chard, cut into thin strips, and remove any large stalks.
Then roll out the dough, dividing it into two pieces. Leave the unused part covered with the film. Sprinkle flour on the pastry board and start to flatten out the dough with the rolling pin, then widen with the hands keeping the fists below the sheet and pulling slowly outwards, rotating the sheet on itself.
Pull with your hands and the rolling pin: it must become almost transparent.
Grease the pan and put the first layer in.
Take the chard, place it on top of the dough, sprinkle with two tablespoons of flour (to absorb the water it produces during cooking) and add salt to taste.
Season the prescinsêua with a few tablespoons of oil and a little salt and distribute it in spoonfuls across the chard.
Now prepare another layer of dough and cover the filling. At this point, take the dough overlapping the edges of the pan and roll it back on itself to form the edge.
Grease the whole surface.
Bake in a conventional oven at 200°C for 45 minutes; the pie should turn golden. If the top darkens, cover with a sheet of aluminium foil.
Note: if the lower part stays too moist (it depends on the chard), turn over and cook for a few minutes so that the lower sheet dries out.
Take out of the oven and allow to cool. Consume warm or at room temperature.
Varied doses for servings