Rustica Recipes

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.

TORTA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Mix flour, cornmeal, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat 2 eggs with 3 tablespoons cold water; stir into flour mixture until dough holds together. Add another tablespoon water if needed. Shape 2/3 of the dough into flattened round; repeat with remaining 1/3. Wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll.
• In another bowl, combine ricotta cheese, crumbled feta, Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, parsley, basil, and oregano until well blended.
• Have an 8 or 9 inch springform pan ready. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion of dough into a 15 inch diameter circle. Carefully place in ungreased pan; press lightly against bottom and sides. Trim overhanging dough to 1 inch from pan rim.
• Scatter half of the mozzarella over the bottom of the crust. Next arrange half the ham slices in an even layer. Spread with ricotta cheese mixture, then sprinkle with spinach. Cover with the remaining ham slices. Press down gently to pack layers. Add red peppers in a single layer, and top with the remaining mozzarella. Press down again.
• Roll out remaining dough to 8 or 9 inch circle. Place over filling to cover. Moisten edges, and seal crusts together. Crimp or flute edges. Crust should not extend above pan rim. Beat remaining egg, and brush over the crust. Cut several small vents in top crust for steam to escape.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until crust is deep golden brown and pulls away from sides. Cool in pan on wire rack 45 minutes. Remove pan sides; cool completely. Cut into 12 wedges. Serve at room temperature.

PASTA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towel; cut or break into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Discard bacon drippings from skillet; add oil. Cook onions in oil over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper, parsley, garlic and pepper flakes; cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved bacon; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in olives and oregano; simmer 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt, if desired.
• Drain pasta; toss with sauce and cheese. Transfer to serving plates and serve with additional cheese, if desired.

PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Add the olive oil with 3 of the whole eggs to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour, 2 teaspoons salt and the frozen grated butter to a large bowl and stir and pinch with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg mixture and blend with a wooden spoon until large crumbles form (they should be slightly larger than a pea). Add 1/4 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition until a dough forms.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface lightly dusted with flour and knead until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a large round disk and divide the dough into 2 pieces, two thirds for the bottom crust and one third for the top crust. Shape the dough pieces back into round disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 45 minutes. (The dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours at this point but will need to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling.)
• Add 1 of the egg yolks to a small bowl along with 1 teaspoon water. Whisk to combine, then set the egg wash aside. Add the remaining 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks to a large bowl along with the Parmesan, ricotta and several heavy grinds black pepper. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Add the prosciutto, ham, pepperoni, salami, provolone and mozzarella and stir until combined. Set aside.
• Position a rack on the lowest shelf in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil.
• Roll out the larger piece of dough on a flat work surface lightly dusted with flour to a 16-inch round a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared springform pan, pressing the dough into the inside edges and up the sides of the pan, leaving any overhang. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan and spread it out into an even layer.
• Roll out the remaining piece of dough on a lightly dusted surface into a 13-inch round a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Place this dough over the filling, gently pressing into the filling and the dough at the edges of the pan. Trim the overhang of both doughs flush with the top of the pan. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then tuck under so they are directly on top of the filling and on the inside of the pan. Brush the reserved egg wash over the top and edges of the dough. Cut four 1-inch slits on the top piece of dough using a paring knife, then place the pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, and a long wooden skewer inserted into one of the slits comes out clean, about 2 hours, rotating the pan once halfway through the cooking time.
• Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before removing the outside ring of the springform pan and transferring the pizza to a serving platter. Cut into wedges to serve.

RUSTICA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add the rotini and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic in the hot oil until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes; stir in the parsley and cook another 30 seconds; remove from heat immediately and spoon over the drained pasta; season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan cheese.

PENNE RUSTICA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl; mix in shrimp and prosciutto.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Brush olive oil over chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Grill until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 5 minutes per side. Cool briefly before slicing into strips. Add to the penne mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Prepare the sauce by melting butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic, cover, and cook until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Pour in Marsala wine and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, milk, chicken broth, cornstarch, mustard, rosemary, thyme, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.
• Pour sauce over the penne mixture and mix well. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and paprika over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top slightly browns, 10 to 12 minutes.

RUSTICA

Steps:

• Place the water in a large mixing bowl. Break the poolish into small pieces with your hands or a wooden spoon and add it to the bowl along with the yeast. Stir until fairly dissolved. Stir in the flour, wheat germ and salt and stir until combined. Continue stirring for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently fold the dough in half lengthwise and then fold it in half again crosswise. Return the dough to the bowl with its smooth side up. Repeat the folding process 2 more times over the next 40 minutes. After the last turning, let the dough rest for 20 to 30 more minutes.
• Gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Loosely form it into a square on the table, taking care not to deflate it. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 4 equal squares. Gently move the pieces to a sheet pan lined with a well-floured heavy tea towel, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rest until the dough just holds the imprint of your finger when you press it gently, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees and have a plant sprayer full of fresh water ready. Very gently transfer the dough pieces to 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper, putting the side of the dough that came in contact with the floured tea towel up and leaving plenty of space between the pieces. When the oven is hot, spray it thoroughly with water and immediately put the bread in and close the door. Spray the oven (not the bread) again 3 more times during the first 5 minutes of baking. Bake until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow in the center when tapped, 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Remove the loaves from the oven and cool them on a wire rack.