Ham and leek pie with ricotta
Torta salata con porri e ricotta
I have made dozens of ham and leek pies through the year, but this recipe with ricotta beats all other versions.
Vegetable and meat pies have been part of the Italian way of life for centuries. Pies such as the Ligurian Torta Pasqualina are an inseparable part of religious festivals like Easter, and there are innumerable tiny differences in the choice of pastry, meat, vegetables and cheeses from one town and region to the next. This ham and leek pie is made in the traditional Italian way with ricotta instead of creme fraiche or double cream and grated mozzarella for increased cheese factor.
It is a beautiful addition to a picnic as well as to a festive banquet. And it can be enjoyed both as antipasto, primo or secondo depending on the size of the slices and circumstances.
Preparation
Pie crust
4 leeks
200 boiled and cubed ham
200 g ricotta
200 g grated mozzarella
6 eggs
Olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper
Preparation
You can make your own pie crust following the recipe here.
Alternatively, you can buy a good ready-made pie crust – I prefer the hard butter crust to a flaky puff pastry for this recipe.
Line a greased 28 cm pie pan with the pie crust. Cover the crust in baking paper. Fill it up with dried beans and blind bake the crust for 20 minutes at 180 C / 350 F.
Clean the leeks and be careful the remover all the dirt hidden between the layered leaves
Cut the leeks in slices and fry them in olive oil over low heat until they have softened.
Mix the ricotta with one egg at a time. Add thyme, salt and pepper to taste
Then fold in the cubed ham, the fried leeks and the mozzarella.
Take the pie crust out of the oven. Lift off the baking paper with the dried beans (The beans should be discarded or saved for the same purpose at a later point in time).
Pour the ricotta and egg filling into the pie crust.
Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 180 C / 350 F until it is golden and firm to the touch.
A cold, left-over slice of ham and leek pie is delicious for lunch.
Italian Notes
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