Pizza Rustica - Italian Easter Pie
Fill this flaky, rich pie crust with a mixture of eggs, ricotta, and your favorite cured meats and bake it the night before you plan to serve it for a decadent, deep dish "quiche."
Pizza Rustica - Italian Easter Pie
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
The exact combination of meats and cheeses in this recipe is pretty flexible, but don't skimp on the 2 pounds (yes, you read that right) of ricotta. This is meant to be a very rich, very dense dish!
Author:Marguerite
Ingredients
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6 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
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¼ teaspoon kosher salt
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1 pound chilled, salted butter, cut into large pieces
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5 large eggs, beaten
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3 ounces sliced proscuitto, cut into small pieces
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8 ounces ham, diced
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8 ounces pepperoni, diced
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8 ounces soppressata, diced
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8 ounces salami, diced
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8 ounces provolone, diced
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8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
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2 pounds ricotta
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4 ounces grated pecorino Romano
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10 large eggs, beaten
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1 teaspoon pepper
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1 large egg, beaten, for brushing the crust
For the crust
For the filling
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and mix to combine. The dough will be very shaggy and dry at this point. Slowly add about 1 ¼ cups ice water, a little at a time, to form a cohesive dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface until it forms a large, smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Cover with an overturned work bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the meats, cheeses, 10 eggs and the pepper in a large bowl.
Heat oven to 350º. Divide the dough into two pieces: 2/3 for the bottom crust and ⅓ for the top crust. Roll out the bottom crust to about 14” circle. Fold in half and carefully transfer to a 10” springform pan. Press into the bottom and sides of the pan. Leave about ½” of dough on overhanging. Add the filling and smooth it lightly. Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water.
Roll out the remaining dough to about 10.5”. Gently lay over the top. Trim the excess dough and crimp together with the bottom crust to seal. Poke holes in the top with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the beaten egg, then return to the oven and bake until golden brown, another 45 minutes.
Allow the pie to cool completely before serving - the best is overnight.