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Pizza Rustica

Pizza rustica with a slice being removed.
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This Pizza Rustica recipe has a creamy ricotta filling studded with Italian deli meat and cheese all baked inside of a crumbly Italian pastry. Typically served on Easter, but not exclusively, this Savory Ricotta Pie is sure to be the star of the show at any meal.

Ingredients

Savory Pasta Frolla:

  • 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (226 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced
  • 3 large eggs 
  • ¼ cup water

Ricotta Filling:

  • 32 ounces (905 grams) whole-milk ricotta, strained if very watery (see notes)
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1-½ cups diced Italian deli meats (ham, salami, soppressata)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup diced provolone cheese
  • Egg wash

Instructions

Make the Pastry:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and place an oven rack in the middle part of the oven.
  2. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined.
  3. Add in the butter and pulse 5-7 times, or until the butter is broken down into tiny pebbles.
  4. With the motor running, add in the eggs and water and let the dough process until it forms a cohesive ball around the blade, about 1 minute.
  5. Transfer the dough to a work surface dusted with flour. Divide the dough into two pieces, about 2/3 and 1/3 of the dough each.
  6. Roll out the larger piece of dough to a rough 15-inch circle. Place inside of a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the pastry into the sides and the bottom of the pan and letting a little of the pastry hang over the edges.
  7. Roll out the other piece of the dough to a rough 10-inch circle. Place on a flat surface (such as a sheet pan) that can fit in your refrigerator. Cover, and transfer the pie dough to the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes.

Make the Filling, Assemble, and Bake:

  1. Meanwhile, make the filling: Add the (strained) ricotta and the eggs to a large bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Fold in the deli meats, mozzarella, and provolone.
  2. Transfer the filling to the dough in the springform pan and smooth it into an even layer.
  3. Remove the rolled-out top crust from the refrigerator. Score the top crust with a fork in a lattice pattern by evenly pressing and dragging the fork on the pastry. You want to get a good score on it, but make sure not to cut all the way through the pastry.
  4. Place the top crust pastry on top of the ricotta filling. Crimp the edges of the top and bottom dough together to seal the pie. Cut off any excess.
  5. Brush the egg wash onto the top crust. Cut a few small slits in the top of the pie directly along the lines left by the fork.
  6. Bake the pie on a rimmed baking sheet for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden and shiny and the filling has set and puffed up throughout.
  7. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Notes

This pie requires a 9-inch springform pan. Alternatively, a 9.5- or 10-inch pie plate will also work, though you might not be able to fit all the filling.

Use whatever deli meats you like for this pie. You can also use cooked Italian sausage.

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if your ricotta needs to be strained if you’ve never baked with it before. A good rule of thumb is that unless you are buying a local or higher-end brand, you likely should strain it. I like Calabro brand and find that it does not need to be strained. If you aren't sure, you can go ahead and strain it anyways. To strain ricotta, place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl. Line the fine mesh strainer with two layers of cheesecloth. An alternative to this is to use a nut milk bag if you have one of those. Place the ricotta in the cheesecloth and smooth the ricotta over to get a flat surface. Transfer the ricotta to the refrigerator to strain for about 8 hours or overnight. Discard any liquid left at the bottom of the bowl. Then, the ricotta is ready to use.

Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level it, it could change the outcome of the final product.

This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half.

Find it online: https://everydaypie.com/italian-pizza-rustica/