Pizza Rustica

* Exported from MasterCook *

PIZZA RUSTICA

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Entrees

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
-----CHEESE FILLING-----
2 lb Ricotta cheese
3 lg Eggs
1/4 lb Mozzarella cheese,
-shredded or chopped
6 T Romano cheese, grated
6 T Parsley (fresh),
-chopped
1 1/2 t Mint leaves, dried
-(do not use peppermint)
1/2 t Black pepper
Salt to taste (depends
-on salt content of
-cheeses)
-----MEAT FILLING-----
1 lb Italian sausage
-("mild" or "sweet")
2 oz Italian dry salami,
-thinly sliced
2 oz Prosciutto, thinly
-sliced (or any other ham)
-----PIZZA-----
1 1/2 lb Pizza dough (if you
-make your own dough,
-use about 3 C of flour)
Flour
1 Egg, separated

Put ricotta and eggs into a large bowl and stir until well mixed. Blend in
all other ingredients.

Slice the sausage into rounds about 3/8 inch thick. Brown in a little oil
until cooked through. Drain and discard grease. Cut the salami and ham
slices into strips about 1 x 1/4 inches.

Make or thaw or unwrap the pizza dough.

Mix the meats into the cheese filling. Roll the dough into two disks, one
large enough to line a 10-inch round cake pan, the other large enough to
cover it. Put the larger piece into the lightly-floured cake pan, molding
it so that it completely lines the pan, with at least 1/2 inch hanging over
the edge.

Fill with the cheese-meat mixture. To allow for expansion, fill to about
1/2 inch below the top of the pan. Wet the exposed dough edge with egg
white, place the other piece of dough on top, and pinch the two pieces
together. Trim neatly to make a seal. Brush egg yolk over the top of the
pie (this will brown during baking). Puncture the top of pie in several
places with a knife (make sure the holes are large enough not to close up
during baking). Bake at 350 degrees F. for about an hour, until the top is
browned but not burned. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack. Serve at
room temperature.

NOTES:

* San Felese Easter pie -- This dish is traditional in my family at Easter
time. I don't know how to spell the Italian name of this pie, but it
sounds something like "Pizza Gain" (my father translates it as "full pie"
This recipe originated in the town of San Fele, east of Naples.

* This recipe makes a very large pie. I couldn't find a big enough cake
pan, so I used a cast-iron frying pan. You might try using half the
quantity of ingredients in a 7-inch pan (make a little extra dough).

* If possible, grate your own romano cheese. Some of the romano sold
pre-grated in cardboard cylinders looks and tastes more like sawdust than
cheese. "Romano" and "parmesan" are American names; the main difference is
that romano is sharper. The mint you want to use is spearmint. It is sold
as just plain "mint" in the spice section of supermarkets. Peppermint is
entirely the wrong flavor.

* Italian sausage is a 'fresh' sausage, i.e. uncured and uncooked. It
must be cooked before eating. Depending upon where you live, the less-spicy
version of it is called either "sweet" or "mild." When I'm really
ambitious I make my own (that doesn't happen often!). The only ingredients
are pork (about 20 percent fat), fennel seeds, salt and a small amount of
red pepper flakes, all coarsely ground and stuffed into natural hog
casings. If you can't find Italian sausage, you might try a mixture of
ground pork with the above seasonings, rolled into little patties. To
adjust seasonings, just pan-fry a little bit of the mixture and taste.

* The cheese filling given above (without the meats) is my standard
filling for lasagna, manicotti, ravioli, etc.

* This same recipe can be used to make calzone. Roll out a small disk of
pizza dough, put a blob of cheese/meat mixture in the middle, fold it over,
seal and bake. This is a good way to use up any filling that doesn't fit
into the pie.

: Difficulty: moderate.
: Time: 30 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking.
: Precision: approximate measurement OK.

: Joe Petolino
: Chronon Computer Co., Mountain View CA
: sun!chronon!petolino

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust



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