Tart of Herbs in the Lombard Style

“The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi”; Book 5, Recipe 92

ORIGINAL RECIPE

RECIPE TRANSLATION

Translated by Terence Scully in his book, “The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570): The Art and Craft of a Master Cook” (page 479).

To prepare a Lombard herb tourte.

Chop chard greens small with knives and wash them in several changes of water, letting

them drain by themselves in a colander because if you press them their juice will come

out and that is their goodness. Then get a pound of grated fresh Parmesan cheese or else

Ligurian cheese, an ounce of pepper and cinnamon combined, a quarter-ounce of cloves

and nutmeg combined, four ounces of fresh butter and six eggs. When everything is mixed

together, get a tourte pan, greased with butter and lined with a shell of dough made of wheat

flour, rosewater, sugar, butter, egg yolks and warm water. Put the mixture into the pan,

covering it with a rippled sheet of dough. Bake it in an oven or braise it, and serve it hot. It is

optional whether you put sugar into the filling and over the top.

RECIPE REDACTION

by Maestra Suzanne de la Ferté

Note: This tourte was cooked in a testo (under a terra cotta dome) or between two heat-

proof slabs, placed in the hearth and covered with live embers. Testi were in wide use

throughout the northern Italian countryside until the beginning of the 20th century and are

still in use for certain traditional recipes today.

10 oz. Chard, fresh (or frozen chopped spinach)

12 oz. Parmesan Cheese, grated

.75 oz (4 ½ tsp) Pepper, freshly ground

.25 oz (1 ½ tsp) Cinnamon

.1 oz (½ tsp )Cloves

.15 oz (1 tsp) Nutmeg

4 oz Butter

6 eggs

1. Finely chop the chard (be sure to remove the stems) and wash well in several

changes of cold water.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Mix the spices with the grated cheese and the butter.

4. Add the eggs and beat thoroughly to blend.

5. Roll out two-thirds of the dough and line a deep 9-inch tart pan (or 12 greased muffin tins).

5a. If using muffin tins, prick bottoms and sides with fork. Bake pastry 10 minutes at 425, then remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350.

6. Add the filling, then roll out the remaining pastry (this sheet should be “rippled”)

and cover the pie, pressing the seams tightly shut.

7. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for an hour or until

the top is golden brown and the bottom thoroughly baked.

7a. If using muffin tins, bake for 30-45 minutes.

Pastry for a 2-Crust Pie (or 12 muffin tins)

2 ¼ c. Flour

12 tbsp (6 oz) Butter

1 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Rosewater (optional)

Scant ¼ c. Water

1 tsp Salt

An hour or two in advance, cut the butter into small pieces and cut it into the flour until the

mixture resembles sawdust. Dissolve the salt in half of the water and the rosewater and add

to the flour mixture. Combine quickly, just until the dough comes together (working it too

much will cause the dough to be tough). If necessary, add more water as required. Form into

a thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.