Erbazzone -- A Couple of Recipes

Ham & Swiss Chard Erbazzone

Lidia's Italy  

Swiss Chard Erbazonne (Erbazzone di Bietola)  

cookbook: Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy

serves: makes 12 or more appetizer slices

 

2 - 3 pounds Swiss chard
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 plump garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1¾ teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 batch dough for erbazzone, at room temperature
all-purpose flour

Ham or chicken (optional)

To make the filling: cut off stems at the base of each chard leaf, and if the central rib is thick and tough, cut it out. (Save all the stems and ribs for stock – I do!) Pile up the trimmed leaves, and slice them crosswise into ribbons, about 1 inch thick.

Bring 5 quarts of water to the boil in the big pot, heap all the chard into the pot, and stir gradually submerging the strips. When the water boils again, adjust the heat to keep it gently bubbling, and simmer the chard until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool off, then squeeze the leaves by handfuls, pressing out as much vegetable water as possible.

Pour the olive oil into the skillet, and set it over medium heat stir in the chopped garlic, and cook until sizzling and fragrant, then scatter the chard in the pan, loosening the compressed ribbons. Add 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and stir and toss for a couple of minutes, until the chard strips are coasted with olive oil and starting to cook. Transfer them to a large bowl to cool briefly.

Beat 3 eggs with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and stir them into the warm chard; then thoroughly blend in the grated cheese, bread crumbs, and chopped rosemary.

When you’re ready to bake the erbazzone, set a rack in the bottom half of the oven – with a baking stone on it, if you have on – and heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface, gradually stretching it into a rectangle that’s 5 inches longer and wider than the jelly-roll pan. Drape the sheet of dough over the pan, then gently press it flat against the bottom and rims, leaving even flaps of overhanging dough on all sides.

Spread the filling into the dough-lined pan in an even layer over the entire bottom. Fold the dough flaps over the filling, making pleats at the corners, to form a top crust that looks like a picture frame, with the filling exposed in the middle. Brush dough with beaten egg.

Bake in the oven (on the heated stone) about 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is crisp on top.

Cool the erbazzone on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes to set the filling before slicing. The erbazzone can be served warm or at room temperature, cut into bite-sized, appetizer, or large pieces, in any shape you like.

 

 

 

 

 

Finished Ham & Chard Erbazzone

  Variations:

 

(Ham) Chop up cooked ham and add to chard or spinach mixture.

(Chicken)  Use cooked, chopped chicken or cook 4 chicken breasts in Italian dressing for 8-10 minutes (or until fully cooked) in microwave.  Chop and add to spinach or chard mixture.

 

 

Erbazzone with Squash Filling
Erbazzone di Zucca cookbook: Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy

 

serves: makes 12 or more appetizer slices

a butternut squash
3 cups milk
1 cup Italian short-grain rice, such as arborio, carnaroli, or vialone nano
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 large eggs
2 bunches scallions, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
1¼ cups freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup fresh ricotta , drained
1 cup heavy cream
freshly ground black pepper to taste
all-purpose flour for rolling the dough

 

To make filling: peel the butternut squash, slice it in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into a few big chunks, and shred them on the coarse-shredding holes of a box grater. Heap the shreds on a kitchen towel, wrap them up tightly, and vigorously wring the towel, squeezing out as much liquid from the squash shreds as you can.

Pour the milk into the saucepan, and set it over medium heat. Add the rice, butter, and ½ teaspoon of the salt, and heat to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the milk is boiling, stir in the shredded squash, and adjust the heat to keep the milk simmering away until it has all been absorbed (though the rice will still be quite al dente), about 12 minutes. Scrape all of the rice and squash into a large bowl, and let it cool a bit.

In a small bowl, beat two of the eggs with the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons salt. When the rice and squash are no longer steaming, stir in the eggs, then the scallions, a cup of grated grana, all the ricotta, and the heavy cream. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste and stir the filling until thoroughly mixed.

When you’re ready to bake the erbazzone, set a rack in the bottom half of the oven – with a baking stone on it, if you have one – and heat the oven to 373 degrees.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface, gradually stretching it into a rectangle that’s 5 inches longer and wider than the jelly-roll pan. Drape the sheet of dough over the pan, then gently press it flat against the bottom and rims, leaving even flaps of overhanging dough on all sides.

Spread the filling into the dough-lined pan in an even layer over the entire bottom. Fold the dough flaps over the filling, making pleats at the corners, to form a top crust that looks like a picture frame, with the filling exposed in the middle.

Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup grated cheese over the filling. Bake in the oven (on the heated stone) about 25 minutes, until the filling and the crust have set but not colored. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl, and brush it over the crust. Return the erbazzone to the oven, and bake another 25 minutes or more, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is crisp on top.

Cool the erbazzone on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes to set the filling before slicing. The erbazzone can be served warm or at room temperature, cut into bite-sized, appetizer, or large pieces, in any shape you like.

Dough for Erbazzone 

 

serves: makes about a pound of dough, for 1 erbazzone

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for working
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

 

Put the 2 cups flour and the salt in the food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse a few seconds to aerate. Mix the oil with 1/3 cup cold water in a spouted measuring cup. With the processor running, pour the liquid through the feed tube and process about 30 seconds, until soft dough forms and gathers on the blade. If the dough is not gathering on the blade, it is probably too dry. Add more water, in small amounts, until you have smooth, very soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead by hand for a minute, until it’s smooth and soft. Pat into a rectangle, and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for ½ hour. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to a day, or frozen for a month or more. Defrost in the refrigerator, and return to room temperature before rolling.)