Milanese Torte

From Nick Malgieri’s A Baker’s Tour
Makes about 16 servings

Dough
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into 20 pieces
3 large eggs
3 large yolks

Spinach filling
2 pounds baby spinach
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sliced yellow onion (I chopped the onion)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound whole-milk ricotta
4 ounces (about a cup) parmigiano-reggiano, finely grated
6 large eggs
12 ounces ham, thinly sliced (I omitted)
12 ounces swiss cheese, thinly sliced
one 12-inch round pan, 2 inches deep, buttered

Set a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

For the dough, combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse several times to mix. Add the butter and pulse again to mix the butter in finely. Add the eggs and yolks and pulse again, until the mixture forms a ball. Empty the bowl out onto a floured work surface and carefully remove the blade. Form the dough into a thick cylinder and keep it cool, but not necessarily in the refrigerator, while preparing the filling. (Note – I tried making this without a food processor – just whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut the butter in with a pastry cutter as if you were making pie crust. Then stir in the whisked eggs with a soft spatula to form the dough – it worked fine.)

For the filling, pour ½ inch of water into a large pan with a tight-fitting cover and bring to a boil. Add the spinach, cover, and place over high heat. Remove the cover and stir occasionally as the spinach wilts and cooks; this will take only a few minutes. Once all the spinach is cooked and reduced, drain it in a colander and let it cool enough so that you can touch it. With your hands, wring out any excess water. Place the spinach on a cutting board and chop it fine with a knife. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the onions. Cook until the onions wilt and begin to color, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir it in thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Cook to evaporate excess moisture from the spinach, about 1 to 2 minutes, then season with salt, pepper, and just a hint of nutmeg.

Scrape the spinach mixture into a large mixing bowl. Use a large rubber spatula to stir the ricotta into the spinach mixture. Stir in the grated cheese. Taste for seasoning at this point, before adding the eggs. The mixture should taste slightly oversalted. Stir in the eggs, 2 at a time, and set the filling aside.

Cut two-thirds of the dough off the cylinder and, with the palm of your hand, flatten it into a thick disk. Lightly flour the work surface and the dough and roll the dough to a large disk, about 16 inches in diameter. Fold the dough into quarters and place it in the prepared pan so that the point is in the center of the pan. Unfold the dough to line the pan, pressing it firmly against the bottom and sides. With a bench scraper or the back of a knife, trim the dough even with the top of the pan.

Spread a third of the spinach filling in the dough-lined pan. Arrange about half of the slices of ham on the filling, making an even layer. Repeat with about half of the slices of cheese. Spread another third of the filling over the cheese and cover with the remaining ham and cheese. Finally, spread the remaining spinach filling over the cheese.

Roll the remaining dough to a 12-inch disk and place it on the filling, folding and unfolding it as above. Use a table knife to detach from the pan the dough from the bottom crust at the top edge of the pan. Fold over the sides of the bottom crust that extend above the top crust. Cut 6 vent holes in the top crust with the point of a sharp knife.

Bake the pie until the dough is baked through and deep golden and the filling is set and firm, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack.

Note – you may use a 9x13x2-inch pan.