Pizza Rustica is a double crusted cheese, meat, and ricotta pie that is generally eaten during Easter-time. Nevertheless, this delicious pie can be enjoyed all year round. The great part about this recipe is that you can incorporate any of your favorite lunchmeats! This recipe uses prosciutto, ham, pepperoni, and soppressata but you can add mortadella, capicola, or whatever other lunch meats you like! This pie is bursting with delicious meat flavors that go perfectly with the mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, provolone, and ricotta!
Information:
- Yield: One 10-by-15-inch pie
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound chilled salted butter, cut into large pieces
- 5 large eggs, beaten
For the filling:
- 2 pounds ricotta
- 4 ounces grated pecorino Romano
- 10 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten, for brushing crust.
- 12 ounces prosciutto, in 1/4-inch dice
- 8 ounces boiled ham, in 1/4-inch dice
- 8 ounces pepperoni, in 1/4-inch dice
- 8 ounces soppressata, in 1/4-inch dice
- 8 ounces mozzarella, in 1/4-inch dice
- 8 ounces provolone, in 1/4-inch dice
Directions:
For the dough:
- Whisk together 6 cups flour and the salt in a large bowl. Using a large fork, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles crumbs. Add eggs and knead for 1 minute. Add 1 1/4 cups of ice water gradually to form a cohesive dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms a large smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
For the filling:
- Combine and mix meats, cheeses, the 10 eggs, and pepper in a large bowl. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide dough into two sections: two-thirds of it for the bottom crust and one-third for the top.
- Get out a 10-by-15-inch glass baking dish. On a floured surface, roll out the larger portion of the dough into a rectangle. Using this dough, line the bottom of your baking dish. Allow a bit of the dough to hang over. Add the filling and smooth it lightly. Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water.
- Roll out the remaining dough to cover the top of the dish with some overhang. Trim off excess dough and crimp the edges to seal. Poke several sets of holes across the top with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush top and edges with the beaten egg, then return to the oven until golden brown, another 45 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before serving.
Sources:
- Recipe: adapted from Italian American Page
