Meal of the Week: Jewish holiday favourite from Italy Erbazzone

The Italian peninsula has been residence to many individuals throughout the Mediterranean and past for millennia. Be it by way of commerce, conquest, occupation or individuals looking for refuge away from their residence international locations. With these individuals got here their meals and culinary experience, which has influenced many dishes throughout the peninsula.

With the Jewish vacation of Passover simply behind us, we’re going to discover the Jewish roots of considered one of northern Italy’s most well-known dishes: the Erbazzone.

A standard dish within the northern areas of Emilia-Romagna and northern Tuscany, it's often eaten at residence and even as a avenue meals. This savoury natural pie is a wonderful facet dish or fast snack on the go.

Though variations of leafy inexperienced natural pies are widespread throughout the area, it's believed that this explicit one has its roots within the Sephardic Jewish neighborhood who fled Spanish persecution in the course of the 1490s. As these Sephardic Jews settled in neighbouring international locations across the Mediterranean, lots of the ones who ended up within the Italian peninsula settled in Livorno or Venice.

Within the Passover custom, it is not uncommon to eat bitter herbs and this pie is assumed to have originated from that customized. Over time the range and strategies of making ready the pie have modified to adapt to the Emilia-Romagna area, just like the addition of Parmigiano Reggiano and variations within the form of herbs and leafy greens added to the pie.

Given the flexibleness of the recipe, it's simple to alter it to your dietary wants. For instance, most recipes embrace some form of lard within the substances for the dough however when you preserve kosher or halal, you may simply substitute it out and easily use olive oil.

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Elements for the doughSavin Mattozzi

WHAT YOU NEED:

For the dough:

200 grams of flour

A glass of room temperature water

Two teaspoons of salt

A tablespoon of olive oil

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ElementsSavin Mattozzi

The filling:

500g of spinach or different combined leafy greens

One small onion

Three cloves of garlic

6/7 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

4/5 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt

Black pepper

HOW TO MAKE IT:

Put a skillet on low medium warmth and add in your olive oil, garlic and sliced onions. Cook dinner them till they flip calmly brown and the onions begin to turn out to be clear. Add in your washed leafy greens a handful at a time till they shrink a bit then add within the subsequent handful whereas mixing effectively. After all your leafy greens are within the skillet, add in your salt and pepper and proceed stirring till effectively combined. They are going to lose a whole lot of water in the course of the cooking course of, so if you wish to velocity up the cooking a bit you may scoop out a number of the water.

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Leafy greens cookingSavin Mattozzi

If you are ready to your leafy greens to cook dinner, you can begin making the dough. Disclaimer, in case you are following Passover custom, this dough is taken into account leavened bread.

Take 200g of flour and blend with a cup of room temperature water and two teaspoons of salt. In the midst of mixing the dough, add a tablespoon of olive oil and proceed to combine till a ball is shaped. Kneed the dough for about two to a few minutes. After the dough is prepared, lower it in half and flatten considered one of them out to suit the baking dish you may be placing it in.

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Combination on high of the doughSavin Mattozzi

As soon as the leafy greens are prepared, combine in 5/6 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in a bowl after which add the combination on high of the dough you positioned in your baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and add the highest layer of dough. 

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Folding the layersSavin Mattozzi

You may shut it by folding the underside layer on high of the highest layer and pinching it shut. Keep in mind to poke just a few holes on the highest of the dough.

Cook dinner in a preheated oven at 200°C for half-hour

Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes and also you’re able to eat up! 

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The completed ErbazzoneSavin Mattozzi

Buon appetito.

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