Erica De Mane

Recipe: My Pizza Rustica

My girlfriend Barbara told me that my last posting, the one about how Easter has become so unnecessary for me, was too depressing.  She was right. And I realized it’s not even true. It’s not unnecessary.  I might not be religious but I  rejoice in the rebirth of the earth and I honor it -a celebration for an almost green day.  And I bake pizza rustica, a traditional Southern Italian Easter torta.  This thing is a sweet-crusted pie filled with all sorts of savory Italian salumi and cheeses, an easily transportable creation many Italians take with them on picnics on La Pasquetta, the day after Easter. I was thinking of doing something like that myself. Not much picnic perfect sights in Manhattan, especially when it’s still Easter chilly.  Maybe I could take  one of those folding chairs into the middle of Times Square, along with a blanket, a slice of pizza rustica, and a double espresso, and watch all the Absolut vodka ads flash before my eyes. Better than nothing.  Fun even. Everything is coming back to life.

My Pizza Rustica

For the pastry:

1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup semolina
A generous pinch of salt
2 tablespoons  powdered sugar
A big pinch of ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the filling:

15 ounces whole milk ricotta
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
A 1/2 inch thick slice of capocollo, cut into small cubes
A 1/2 inch thick slice of prosciutto di Parma, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup chopped caciocavallo cheese
1/2 cup chopped gruyere
A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
A few marjoram sprigs, leaves chopped
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water, to brush over the top

To make the pastry, put the two flours in a large bowl, and stir in the salt, sugar, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, beat together the egg, white wine, and olive oil. Pour this over the flour, mixing it in with a fork until uniformly moist. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very briefly, pressing the dough together to form a ball. Cut it into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap the pieces in plastic and let sit, unrefrigerated, for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the filling.

Choose a standard  9-inch American-type pie plate (or a smooth sided tart pan with a removable bottom), and grease it lightly with olive oil. Roll out each dough ball, one into an approximately 11-inch round, the other about 9 inches. Fit the larger round into the pie plate and trim the edges so you have a more of less even 1/2 inch overhang all around. Pile in the filling, and smooth it out. Place the other dough round over the filling. Fold the overhang up over the top of the pie, making little pleats all around to seal it. Cut 3 short slashes into the top in a star pattern, and brush the top with the egg wash. Place the pie plate on a sheet pan, and bake for about 50 minutes or so, or until it’s golden and puffy (it’ll flatten down as it cools). Serve at room temperature with a cool glass of Falanghina.