Artichoke and Spinach Torta

By thatjerseygirl

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 shallots
• 1 9-oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and very roughly chopped
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1/2 cup water
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch (10oz) fresh spinach, cleaned & stemmed
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 3/4 cup grated Havarti cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 small bunch fresh basil, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into small squares

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat the oven to 375-degrees F. In a nonstick medium frying pan, heat 1 Tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook about 1 minute. Add the artichokes, lemon juice, water and 1/2 tsp salt. Cover and cook until the artichokes are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated. Let cool.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spinach for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh with cold water, squeeze out as much water as possible, and finely chop.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and the half-and-half. Season with 1 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the cheese, spinach, basil, prosciutto and the artichoke mixture and stir well.

4. Choose a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to hold an 8-inch nonstick frying pan. Add hot water to the dish to cover about one-quarter of the frying pan's depth to create a water bath.

5. Heat the remaining 1 Tbs oil in the 8-inch pan over medium-high heat until a drop of the egg mixture sputters when added. Add the egg mixture and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. With a spatula, lift the torta away from the edges of the pan to gauge its progress; when you see that the torta has browned nicely all around, remove the pan from the heat and immediately put it in the water bath to stop the browning. Put the pan and water bath into the oven and bake until the torta is firm in the center, about 40 to 45 minutes.

6. Remove the frying pan from the water bath and invert the torta on a cutting board. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into 1-inch chunks and serve.