Pizza Rustica (Easter Pie)

Serves about 6 generous portions.

Ingredients

Pastry

• 9 oz / 250 g cold butter
• a splash of olive oil
• 4 cups / 500 g flour
• 4 eggs + 1 egg for brushing (for a total of 5 eggs)
• 1 tsp / 7 g salt
• 1 tsp / 5 g sugar
• 1/2 tsp / 2-3 g baking powder

Filling

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup / 250 g ricotta (can be substituted with cottage or cream cheese)
• 1 cup / 200 g cubed Scamorza Affumicata (smoked) cheese (can be substituted with mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, burrata, Tallegio)
• 7 oz / 200 g hard salami
• 5 oz / 150 g Italian sausage
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup / 60 g grated Parmesan cheese (can also use Pecorino Romano)
• black pepper

Instructions

Pastry

1. Add all dry ingredients to a food processor and mix. (You can also use your hands for mixing the dough)
2. Add in the cold butter cut it into small cubes and blitz everything until the dough is a crumbly mess. 😄
3. Add eggs and mix well until a smooth dough forms.
4. Take the dough out and gently knead it into a ball. Wrap it with cling film and refrigerate it for 1 hour. (or overnight if making ahead)

Filling

1. Prepare your toppings: cut scamorza cheese into small cubes, cut salami and sausage into thin slices or cubes, grate your Parmesan cheese, and clean and cut your bell pepper into thin slices or cubes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the eggs with the ricotta until smooth.
3. Add all of your toppings and a pinch of black pepper to the egg-ricotta bowl and mix.

Let's get cookin', good lookin'!

1. Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C and using the splash of olive oil (which can be substituted with any vegetable oil or butter) grease a 10" / 25cm round baking dish. Then lightly flour it. If you're unsure how to do this, we have the perfect article for you here!
2. Take the dough out of the fridge and cut it into 2 halves. Make one half slightly bigger, we will use this one for the bottom of the pizza pie. Put the second, smaller half back into the fridge until needed.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a flat circle. It needs to be big enough to cover the bottom of your baking pan, as well as the sides.
4. Place the dough over your baking dish and let the edges lay loose on the sides. Pour in the filling.
5. Get the second ball of dough and roll it out as the first one. Remember, this one should be a bit smaller, as we only need it to cover our pie.
6. Place the top over the pie, making sure it lightly touches the filling. Cut out any extra dough that might be hanging on the sides of the pie (If you used a smaller baking dish and have a lot of dough remaining you can roll it into a ball, cover it with cling film and freeze it for up to 6 months). With a fork, gently press the edges together to seal the pie and make sure none of the fillings will pour out.
7. In a small bowl, crack the extra egg, add a pinch of salt, and beat it well. Brush the top of the pizza pie with the egg and then using a fork, poke holes into it, to let the steam out while cooking.
8. Bake the pie for 50-60 minutes until golden brown. This dish tastes amazingly cold, so make sure to let it cool before digging in!

*This is an awesome dish because it can be made with pretty much anything! While we presented the traditional recipe, you can substitute or even replace the toppings! You can replace the meat with ham and bacon, or prosciutto crudo. You can even add tons of delicious veggies, like mushrooms, bell peppers, or even spinach. With a little bit of imagination, this recipe can be fitted for any diet.