The puff pastry crust and ricotta filling distinguish this tart from an ordinary quiche. Torta Pascualina is traditionally served during Lent, but it makes an excellent lunch or supper any time of year. You can also use empanada dough as the pastry layers, or this recipe for pastel tart dough.

  • Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup onion (chopped)
  • 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 or​ pastry dough for pasteles)
  • Egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Steps to Make It

  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 F.

  7. Roll out one of the pastry sheets in a circle about 14 inches in diameter (or roll out half of the empanada dough or pastel pastry in the same way).

  8. Drape pastry over a buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing the pastry into bottom and sides of the pan.

  9. Fill the tart with spinach/cheese mixture.

  10. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half. Press them into filling, spacing them evenly.

  11. Roll out the other piece of puff pastry (or the other half of the empanada dough) into a 9-inch circle, and place on top of the tart. Seal edges together and crimp with a fork.

  12. Brush tart with the egg wash. Use a fork to prick a few holes in the top of the tart as vents.

  13. Place tart in the oven, lower temperature to 350 F, and bake for one hour. If tart is browning too quickly, you can cover the tart with foil loosely.

  14. Cool in pan for 30 minutes before lifting tart (with the removable bottom) out of the tart pan.

  15. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    EMPANADA RECIPE: Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter (chilled)
12 tablespoons lard (or vegetable shortening, chilled)
3/4 to 1 cup water
2 egg yolks
Steps to Make It
5/20/2019 https://www.thespruceeats.com/dough-recipe-masa-para-empanadas-3029725?print
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03 blended.
04 Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cups water. Stir in the 1/2 cup of the water-egg mixture, a little bit at a time, until the dough
starts to come together smoothly.
05 Keep kneading 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.
06 Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour. 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.
07 Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into desired thickness before cutting.
08 Use in your desired recipe and enjoy!
Hungry for something else?
Tip
■ The dough can also be kept in the fridge