Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [218]
2. Pare the artichoke stems of their hard outer skin, and cut them lengthwise into very thin slices. Add them to the bowl with the sliced artichokes.
3. Put the oil, onion, and carrot in a saute pan, and turn the heat on to medium. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a pale gold. Then add the parsley, stirring it rapidly 2 or 3 times.
4. Drain the artichokes, rinse them well under cold water to wash away the lemon, pat them dry in a towel, then add them to the pan. Turn them over 2 or 3 times to coat them well, add salt and pepper, turn them over again another 2 or 3 times, then add ½ cup water, and put a lid on the pan. Cook until tender, from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the youth and freshness of the artichokes. If in the meantime the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, add 2 or 3 tablespoons water as needed. When the artichokes are done, however, there should be no water in the pan. If there is, remove the lid, raise the heat to high, and quickly boil it away. Pour the entire contents of the pan into a bowl and allow to cool completely.
5. When cool, mix in the ricotta and grated Parmesan.
6. Beat the eggs lightly in a deep dish, then swirl them into the bowl. Taste and correct the filling for salt and pepper.
MAKING THE PASTRY CRUST AND COMPLETING THE TORTA
1½ cups flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup fresh ricotta
½ teaspoon salt
Wax paper OR kitchen parchment
An 8-inch springform pan
Butter and flour for the pan
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Mix the flour, butter, ricotta, and salt in a bowl, using your fingers or a fork.
3. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and knead for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into 2 unequal parts, one twice as large as the other.
4. Roll out the larger piece of dough into a circular sheet no thicker than ⅓ inch. To simplify transferring this to the pan, roll out the dough on lightly floured wax paper or kitchen parchment.
5. Smear the inside of the springform pan with butter, then dust it with flour and turn it over giving it a sharp rap against the counter to shake off loose flour.
6. Pick up the wax paper or kitchen parchment with the sheet of dough on it, and turn it over onto the pan, covering the bottom and letting it come up the sides. Peel away the wax paper or parchment, and smooth the dough, flattening and evening off any particularly bulky creases with your fingers.
7. Pour the artichoke filling into the pan and level it off with a spatula.
8. Roll out the remaining piece of dough, employing the same method you used earlier. Lay it over the filling, covering it completely. Press the edge of the top sheet of pastry dough against the edge of that lining the pan. Make a tight seal all around, folding any excess dough toward the center.
9. Place on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven and bake until the top is lightly browned, about 45 minutes. When you take it out of the oven, unlatch the pan’s spring, and remove the hoop. Allow the torta to settle a few minutes before loosening it from the bottom and transferring to a serving platter. Serve either lukewarm or at room temperature.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES OR SUNCHOKES
Obscurity is often the fate of products that start out in life under a confusing name. This fine, but unjustly neglected, vegetable is not from Jerusalem, it is a native of North America; it is not an artichoke, it is the edible root of a variety of sunflower. Sunflower, in Italian, is girasole, which to non-Italian ears evidently sounded like Jerusalem. Even more strangely, its Italian name is not remotely related to girasole or sunflower. It is topinambur, the name of a Brazilian troupe that toured the country