Pizza Rustica A Sicilian Sausage And Prosciutto Pie Recipes

PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.

PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cook and stir sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain.
• Mix Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs together in a bowl. Stir in sausage, prosciutto, and parsley.
• Roll 1 pie crust into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Transfer to a pie plate, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Pierce crust all over with a fork. Spread cheese and sausage mixture over crust. Roll second pie crust into a 12-inch circle; place on top. Seal and flute edges. Cut several slits in the top crust to permit steam to escape.
• Bake in the preheated oven until center is set and crust is browned, about 1 hour.

PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• To prepare the dough, in a medium bowl, lightly toss together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the Crisco, combining all the ingredients with your fingertips until the dough separates into crumbly, pea-size pieces. Add the water and the 3 beaten eggs to the dough, again combining the ingredients with your fingertips. As you're mixing, be aware that this dough has a different texture from most-it's a little bit sticky and has a very elastic quality to it (if the dough is sticky enough that you can't easily get it off your fingers, add a very light dusting of flour). When you are able to form a ball with the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To prepare the filling, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the 3 beaten eggs, pepper, ricotta, and Parmesan. Once these ingredients are fully combined, slowly add the sopressata, prosciutto, capicola, sweet sausage, mozzarella, basket cheese, and parsley. Continue to mix until the ingredients are spread evenly throughout the mixture.
• To prepare the pie shell, sprinkle flour over your rolling pin and work surface, and divide the chilled ball of dough in half. Roll out two circles (using one half of the dough for each circle) that are approximately 12 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Remember, this crust has a lot of elasticity to it, so really press down on the rolling pin, applying a little extra pressure. Fold one dough circle in half, place it in a 10-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate.
• To assemble the pie, spread the filling across the pie shell, distributing it evenly. Top it with the quartered hard-boiled eggs. Take the remaining dough circle and fold in half. Place it over the filling, with the straight line of the half circle running down the middle of the pie. Unfold the circle so that the entire pie is covered. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie together to seal in the filling.
• Break the 2 remaining eggs into a small bowl, and beat them to create an egg wash. Brush the top crust of the pie with the egg wash, taking care to cover it thoroughly. Use a sharp knife to cut at least five 2-inch slits in the top crust for ventilation (ventilation is essential for pizza rustica).
• To bake, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust has browned and the filling has achieved a firm consistency. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
• Pizza Rustica can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

CHEF JOHN'S PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, butter, and olive oil for the crust in a large bowl. Blend butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture, pour egg into the well, and mix with a fork until egg is mixed in, about 1 minute. Add cold water and mix briefly with a fork. Switch to mixing with your hands and press mixture into a ball. If it seems dry, sprinkle in some more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough comes together.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
• While the dough is resting, combine drained ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, black pepper, beaten eggs, cooked Italian sausage, smoked ham, salami, and pepperoni for the filling. Mix thoroughly until extremely well combined; don't worry about overmixing. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Rub a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil and dust with flour.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut off 1/3 of the dough and set aside for the top crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the bottom crust, using only as much flour as needed, into a 15-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the prepared pan. Tuck the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, being careful not to stretch it. Remove any excess dough, dampen it with water, and use it to fill in where needed.
• Transfer filling into the pan, press firmly into the edges to ensure there are no air pockets, and smooth out the top.
• Roll remaining dough into a circle that's slightly wider than the pan. Roll dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pan. Position the top crust properly and press to seal it with the side edges.
• Mix egg and water for egg wash together in a small bowl.
• Brush egg wash on top of dough to moisten entire surface. Trim off excess dough if desired. Fold the side dough down from the pan edges onto the top crust and crimp edges with your fingertips until fully sealed. Brush once more with egg wash.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until top crust is a beautiful golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the ring and let cool another 15 minutes before slicing into wedges.