Abruzzo Recipe: Shepherd’s Tart with Ricotta
Join us and discover a traditional Abruzzo recipe. And if we leave you inspired to take your exploration of Italian cuisine to the next level, consider joining us for an unforgettable Day Tour in the Abruzzi.
This ricotta tart, or La Torta dei Pastori, was the morning or afternoon snack of the shepherds of Abruzzo while they were away with their flock of sheep. The shepherds’ housewives prepared the tart with fresh ricotta, adding chocolate if they had it, and lemons the shepherds brought from Apulia during their migration back to Abruzzo.
Difficulty
Easy
Preparation
20 min
Cooking
20/25 min
Serves
Ten people
Ingredients for Shepherd’s Tart with Ricotta
For the dough:
- Two medium organic eggs (about 70 gr each)
- 200 gr flour (type ’00’ or white strong)
- 50 gr of sugar
- 80 gr of butter
- Eight gr of yeast for desserts
For the Ricotta filling:
- 300 gr of fresh sheep’s ricotta (if you can’t find it, you can use cow ricotta or mascarpone as the last option)
- Two tbsp of grated dark chocolate
- lemon zest
- One egg yolk
- One tbsp of organic honey
- a drop of cinnamon if you like.
Tools
- A bowl
- Pan for warming the butter
- 20 cm tart pan
Preparation
Grate the lemon zest. Melt the butter in a pan and set it aside. Start mixing the eggs with the sugar. Add the butter and the yeast, and slowly incorporate all the flour.
Roll the dough into a smooth ball and divide it in half. Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about the thickness of a 1E coin, then lift into the tart tin. Press it down gently on the bottom and sides, then trim any excess pastry.
Add the lemon’s zest, chocolate, and honey into the ricotta and mix it well.
Fill the tart with the ricotta mixture and roll out the remaining dough as if you were making gnocchi.
Lay the long ‘gnocchi’ dough vertically and horizontally like you were building a net. Heat the oven to 180 C fan/gas 3/4 and cook for about 20/25 minutes until the dough is coloured.
Mamma’s Top Secrets:
- Use fresh sheep’s ricotta
- Use organic fresh eggs
- Use organic honey
Don’t forget:
- Don’t heat the butter too much, or the eggs will cook.
Buon appetito! If you will be travelling in Abruzzo be sure to consider taking one of our Abruzzo Food Tours. Or, if you are looking for a longer tour experience, why not book a Customised Multi-Day Tour in Abruzzo?