Erbazzone
Reggio Emilia's flat savoury pie made with crisp lard pastry encasing a filling of Swiss chard, pancetta, and aged Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Large frying pan
- •Rolling pin
- •Baking sheet (30x40 cm)
- •Clean tea towel
- •Pastry brush
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 22 g
- carbs
- 33 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 14 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix the flour, three grams of salt, forty-five grams of lard, and warm water in a bowl until combined.
- 2
Knead the dough on a clean worktop for five minutes until smooth and elastic, then wrap and rest for thirty minutes.
- 3
Blanch the chard leaves and stalks in boiling salted water for three minutes until tender.
- 4
Drain the chard and squeeze it thoroughly in a clean tea towel to extract every drop of liquid.
- 5
Chop the squeezed greens finely on a board.
- 6
Fry the pancetta, spring onions, and minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and fragrant.
- 7
Add the chopped chard to the pan and cook for five minutes until completely dry, then season with pepper.
- 8
Take the pan off the heat, let it cool slightly, then stir through the grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
- 9
Roll two-thirds of the dough very thin and line a greased baking sheet with it.
- 10
Spread the chard filling evenly over the base, then cover with the remaining dough rolled equally thin.
- 11
Pinch the pastry edges together to seal, prick the surface with a fork, and brush with melted lard.
- 12
Bake at 200°C for thirty minutes until crisp, golden, and blistered, then slice into neat squares.
Chef's tips
Extracting excess water from the blanched greens is crucial to avoid a soggy bottom crust. Roll the pastry as thin as possible, almost translucent, to achieve the signature flaky, flat texture. If you do not have lard, extra virgin olive oil works in the dough, though the texture will be less traditional.
Ingredient substitutions
- strutto (pork lard) → extra virgin olive oil for the dough and brushing
- Swiss chard → mature spinach leaves combined with beet greens
- pancetta → finely minced lardo (cured pork fatback)
Storage
Store leftover squares in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat on a hot baking tray at 180°C for eight minutes to restore pastry crispness.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Failing to squeeze out the cooked greens thoroughly, which makes the pastry base soggy.
- •Rolling the pastry too thick, resulting in a bread-like crust rather than a flat, crisp pie.
- •Skipping the fork pricks on the top pastry, which causes uneven steam bubbling during baking.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Erbazzone?
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