Sounds Italian and yummy, doesn’t it? Try it out with or without the olives and let me know how it tastes.
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 pounds ricotta*
- 6 tablespoons Romano, shredded
- 1 can black olives, drained & chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 chili pepper, seeded & chopped
- 1 refrigerated pie crust (not frozen!)
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Saute onion and pepper in butter (you probably prefer olive oil).
- Combine all ingredients (except pie crust) in a large bowl and blend until smooth. (The best way to do this is with a spatula or spoon, not a hand mixer, so that the veggies do not become pulp.)
- You probably want to grease the inside of the springform pan with a light coating of cooking spray even though the original recipe did not include this step.
- Press the refrigerated pie crust into the bottom and sides of a 10 inch springform pan. (The pan I bought for you is a 9.5 inch pan. So you may have a little crust left over for decorating with.) Need to know how to decorate the edges of your crust? And here are some tips from Paula Deen. 😮
- Add the cheese & veggie filling.
- Bake at 350° for one hour, until golden brown.
*Ricotta cheese can be expensive and some people prefer to use cottage cheese as a substitute. However, the taste and texture of cottage cheese is different from that of ricotta and replacing such a large quantity (2 pounds) of ricotta cheese might make a not–so–tasty torte.
What is an egg wash? An egg wash is a beaten egg with a little bit of liquid (milk/water) mixed together and brushed onto the surface of the unbaked pastry. It is used to make the pie crust shine and patch up holes & cracks. More info about egg wash.
How to Garnish Pie Crusts video.
Find the original recipe for Torte Rustica with a photo here.
