Layered tartas in many forms (butternut and ricotta, corn, tuna, ham and cheese…) are found all over Argentina–a sort of quiche/tart that has its roots in northern Italy.  So many Italian recipes found their way to Argentina to be reborn; it is traditionally served at Easter because of the whole eggs cracked onto the top of the filling before baking.

This makes the perfect lunch or dinner served anytime of the year with a light green salad or a fresh tomato salad drizzled in olive oil.  The trick is to make it in a springform pan, so it can get enough height for the layers of filling it contains.

Ingredients:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup onion (onion)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 cup mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 10-ounce packages of spinach (frozen, thawed and drained)
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs
  • 1 package frozen puff pastry sheets (thawed or one recipe empanada dough – SEE BELOW)
  • Egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water​
How to:
  1. Sauté onion and garlic in the butter until soft and slightly golden. Add salt and nutmeg.
  2. Add mushrooms and sauté for 3-5 minutes more.
  3. Add spinach and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
  4. Mix ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and 2 eggs in a large bowl.
  5. Add cooled spinach mixture to the cheeses. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  7. Roll out one of the pastry sheets in a circle about 14 inches in diameter (or roll out half of the empanada dough in the same way).
  1. Drape pastry over a buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing pastry into bottom and sides of pan.
  2. Fill tart with spinach/cheese mixture.
  3. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half. Press them into filling, spacing them evenly.
  4. Roll out other piece of puff pastry (or other half of the empanada dough) into a 9-inch circle, and place on top of tart. Seal edges together and crimp with a fork.
  5. Brush tart with the egg wash. Use a fork to prick a few holes in the top of the tart as vents.
  6. Place tart in oven, lower temperature to 350 degrees, and bake for one hour. If tart is browning too quickly, you can cover the tart with foil loosely.
  7. Cool in pan for 30 minutes before lifting tart (with the removable bottom) out of the tart pan.
  8. Serve warm or at room temperature.
HOW TO MAKE EMPANADA DOUGH:
  1. 4 cups flour
  2. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  3. 3 tablespoons sugar
  4. 2 tablespoons butter (chilled)
  5. 12 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening (chilled)
  6. 1 to 1 1/2 cup water

Blend the butter and shortening (or lard) into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter, or with two knives,
until fairly well blended.Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cups water.
Stir in the 1/2 cup of the water, a little bit at a time, until the dough starts to come together smoothly. Keepkneading the dough, adding more of the water/egg mixture as needed (you may need a few tablespoons extra
of water), until the dough is smooth. The dough will seem a bit saggy until it has thoroughly chilled.
Taste for salt and add more if needed.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour. The dough can also be kept in the fridge for up to two days. When ready to use, the dough should be soft and smooth, not elastic.
If you poke a hole in the dough with your finger, the indentation should remain.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into desired thickness before cutting