Serves 8
This magnificent Italian crustless pie is a superb main course, served with salad. You could also serve it as a starter too if cut into small pieces. What I love about this pie is that despite the rustic look, it has the beauty and complexity of a layered cake. No wonder Italians called it “tortino”, that is cake. It is creamy, earthy, spicy, juicy, flavourful and maybe much more than this once you give it a try. Do not get intimidated by the many steps and layers to put this cake-pie together. You will soon discover that it was all worth the time and effort.
80 ml + 2 tbsp olive oil 1 kg eggplant, sliced in 5-mm slices (about 2 large eggplants) Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 bunches Swiss chard, stemmed and thinly sliced 15 g garlic, chopped 1 tsp chili flakes 125 ml whipping/pouring cream 250 g Provolone cheese, grated 3 eggs beaten with a pinch of salt 1 ball/250 g Buffalo Mozzarella, thinly sliced 125 g Parmesan, grated
Preheat oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
Oil a 23 cm springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. You may wish to also place some parchment paper at the bottom of your oven to prevent any unwanted drippings while the pie is cooking. Using 80 ml olive oil, brush 2 baking sheets with a thin layer of olive oil. Brush 1 side of eggplant slices lightly with olive oil, and place oiled-side up, slightly overlapping, in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, switching positions in the oven halfway through or until eggplant is browned and softened. Let cool and reserve. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Add Swiss chard, garlic and chili flakes and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until chard is wilted (if there is a lot of liquid, drain chard, then return to skillet before adding cream). Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Add Provolone and stir, followed by eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve. Cover bottom of springform pan with a third of eggplant slices, spread on half of chard mixture and top with half of Buffalo Mozzarella slices. Repeat layers ending with a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bake for 30 minutes or until top is browned and filling is set.
Let it rest for about 10 minutes, then remove sides of springform and cut into slices to serve.
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