With its rich, savory filling and sweet pastry, this pizza rustica uses the best of local ingredients: ricotta, made from rich cow’s milk; spicy salami, which every farmer prepares himself; and basil, a staple of the family garden.
Enjoy other versions.
From Food & Wine 1999:
INGREDIENTS
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
FILLING:
½ lb. ricotta cheese
½ lb. mozzarella cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
â…“ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
5 ounces spicy salami, cut into 1/3-inch dice
3 large egg yolks
½ cup coarsely chopped basil
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg white, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glazing
INSTRUCTIONS
1. MAKE THE DOUGH: Pour the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the center. Add the sugar, eggs, egg yolks and oil to the well and blend together with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour into the well until a dough forms. Gently knead the dough until smooth, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
2. Roll out two-thirds of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment or wax paper to a 14-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the pastry to a 9-inch springform pan; it should reach about two-thirds of the way up the side of the pan. Roll out the remaining third of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment to a 9-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate the dough until chilled.
3. MAKE THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salami and egg yolks. Stir in the basil and salt. Spread the filling evenly in the pastry-lined pan. Brush the rim of the dough with some of the egg glaze and set the dough round on top; press the edge down firmly to seal and brush the top evenly with more egg glaze.
4. Set the springform pan on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for about 1 hour, or until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the side of the pan and let the pizza cool completely. Using a metal spatula, carefully transfer the pizza to a plate. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
MAKE AHEAD The baked pizza can be refrigerated overnight. Rewarm in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
= = =
Mario Batali:
2-½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
9 to 10 tablespoons water (ie, enough water to bring dough together)
1 egg plus 1 egg
½ lb. Prosciutto, cut into 1/4-inch dice
½ lb. Prosciutto Cotto, cut into 1/4-inch dice or smoked ham
½ lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch dice
½ lb. fresh Ricotta
½ cup sundried tomatoes, drained of oil and julienned
¼ cup grated Pecorino or romano
3 eggs
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 375 F and place baking stone in center.
For Pizza Dough:
In a large mixing bowl, place flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and olive oil. Stir together with whisk until texture is like that of coarse meal. Add egg and water and mix well and forcefully with hands. Make sure dough sticks together. If too dry, add more water. Place on to floured work surface and knead like bread for 5 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minute.
For Filling:
Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well with hands.
TO ASSEMBLE:
Cut 1/4 dough off and set aside. Force fingers of both hands on top of larger piece on a floured surface and press out into a circle. Flip over and continue pressing. Roll out to a 12 to 14-inch circle and place on a pizza board, which is lightly dusted with semolina. Spread filling in center to within 3 inches of edge. Roll remaining dough into a thinner piece 10-inches in diameter and place over filling. Brush outer edge and top of center disk with cool water and fold outer edges inwards to meet center piece and cover the perimeter. Beat remaining egg and brush entire top. Score top with sharp knife in 5 places. Slide on to stone in oven and bake for 30 minutes or so, until crust is dark golden brown. Remove and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
There’s enough filling for 2 pizzas.
Filling for 1 pie:
1/2 lb ricotta
1/2 lb mozzarella, grated
1/3 c grated Parmigiano
5 oz spicy salami, cut into 1/3 inch dice
3 lg egg yolks
1/2 c coarsely chopped basil
1/2 tsp salt.
Combine cheeses meat and eggs together, stir in basil & salt. Substitute meat with anything, may add sun-dried tomatoes.
= = =
From Giada de Laurentiis:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 bunches (12-ounce) fresh spinach, stemmed, coarsely chopped (about 12 cups), or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
â…“ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
Pastry Dough:
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
2 to 4 tablespoons ice water
1 large egg, beaten to blend
Position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and saute until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts and the juices evaporate, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Squeeze the spinach to drain as much liquid as possible.
Into a large bowl, add egg yolks and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the sausage, the spinach and prosciutto to the mixture and stir to combine.
Roll out larger piece of dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan. Trim the dough overhang to 1 inch. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then crimp the dough edges decoratively. Brush the beaten 1 large egg over the entire pastry top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top. Bake on the bottom shelf until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.
Let stand 15 minutes. Release the pan sides and transfer the pizza to a platter. Cut into wedges and serve.
Pastry Dough:
Blend the flour, the butter, the shortening and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in the eggs. With the machine running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, with 1 piece twice as large as the second piece. Flatten the dough pieces into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.
Yield: 2 dough pieces (enough for 1 Pizza Rustica)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
= = =
From Giada de Laurentiis – 2nd version:
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup fine cornmeal or polenta
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1.25 (2 1/2) sticks unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
2/3 cup ice water (plus 1 tablespoon if needed)
For The Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces hot or mild Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained
½ teaspoon Calabrian chili paste, optional
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 2 extra tablespoons, for topping
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
To Assemble:
1 large egg, beaten to blend
To make the crust, to a large bowl add the flour, cornmeal and salt. Use your hand to combine everything together. Add the cold butter and begin quickly working it with your fingers, smearing it slightly to make small streaks of butter with flour and pieces of butter the size of a chickpeas. Do not over work. Add the ice water and stir to combine. When it is just starting to come together, pour the mixture out onto a clean surface and knead the mixture 4 or 5 times to bring it together. Form a flat disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Into a large bowl, add egg yolks and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, the Calabrian chili paste if using, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the sausage, the spinach and prosciutto to the mixture and stir to combine.
Take the refrigerated dough, and cut off about 2/3 of the flat disk for the bottom portion of the crust. Roll the larger piece on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan. Trim the dough overhang to 1 inch. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then crimp the dough edges decoratively. Brush the beaten 1 large egg over the entire pastry top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top. Bake on the bottom shelf until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes. Release the pan sides and transfer the pizza to a platter. Cut into wedges and serve.
= = =
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour or 450 grams
2 sticks cold unsalted butter cubed
â…“ cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
For the filling:
7 large eggs
32 ounces ricotta drained overnight
1 cups Genoa salami cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 cups mortadella cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 cup prosciutto cut into ¼-inch cubes
¾ cup provolone cut into ¼-inch cubes
¾ cup mozzarella cut into ¼-inch cubes
¾ cup Pecorino Romano grated
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon black pepper
Remaining ingredients:
1 large egg yolk beaten
2 teaspoons water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter for greasing the pie dish
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep the dough:
Add the flour, salt, and sugar to a bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix the ingredients. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse for about 20-30 seconds or until the mix is well incorporated but still crumbly. You should have small coarse pieces and a grainy mix.
Next, add the eggs and milk and pulse again until the dough is formed. It will be kind of a mess at this point which is fine.
Place the dough onto a work surface and knead for a few seconds only. You just want to bring the dough together so that it forms a stuck-together mass. Cut into two balls. Make one large ball with â…”’s of the dough and the other smaller one with the remaining dough.
Wrap the balls tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before using. The dough
can be made 1 day ahead of time.
Make the filling:
In a very large bowl mix the ricotta, eggs, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth.
To the bowl, add the cubed prosciutto, salami, mortadella, mozzarella, provolone, and grated Pecorino. Mix together.
Assemble and bake:
Remove the dough from the fridge about 10-15 minutes before rolling to prevent it from cracking.
Preheat the oven to 375f and set one rack to the lowest level and the second to the middle level. Grease a (9 by 3″) springform pan with butter or lard.
Roll out the larger ball to a circle approximately ¼-inch thick and about 15-inches round. Place the dough into the pan and tuck in the edges letting the excess overhang. Trim off the excess overhanging dough. Any open spots should be patched with the excess dough.
Pour the filling into the pie pan, leaving at least a ¼-inch unfilled. If needed, use a spatula to level out the filling.
Roll out the second smaller ball to a circle a bit larger than the pie pan. Cut into 1-inch wide strips for a lattice.
Place the strips in a lattice formation about a 1-inch apart. Make sure to overlap the dough so that the strips stay down while baking. Alternatively, you can forgo the lattice and just cover the pie with the second circle and cut a slit for venting. The choice is yours.
Use your fingers or a fork to press the strips down into the corners so that they stick. If needed a touch of water can be used to “glue” the strips to the sides. Cut off any excess dough.
Beat the egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water and brush the top of the pie crust.
Bake for 20 minutes on the lowest rack, then move the pan up to the middle rack and continue baking. Full bake time will be approximately 60-70 minutes. Check the pie at the halfway point and if it looks like it’s getting too brown cover loosely with foil. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
After baking, let the pie cool for 2 hours before removing the sides of the springform. The pie can be eaten the same day though it’s better to let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. Place the pizzagaina in the oven at 350f for a few minutes the next day. The heat will slightly melt the butter and allow easy removal of the bottom pan plate.
Pizzagaina is best made the day before and eaten the next day after it has settled and cooled. It can be served either cold or warm.
Notes:
– After baking, let the pie cool for 2 hours before removing the springform. The pie should be refrigerated on the bottom plate overnight. Use heat from a gas torch or place it in the oven at 350f for 10 minutes. The heat will allow easy removal of the bottom plate. A final option is to try to dislodge the pie with a spatula.
– Best served cold or at room temperature. Traditionally the dish is served for Easter breakfast or brunch.
– All different meats can be used. Soppressata, capocollo, ham, pepperoni, or even cubed turkey all work great.
– Cheeses like fontina, scamorza, caciocavallo, and smoked mozzarella all work well.
– Leftovers can be saved for up 4 days in the refrigerator.
