Pizza Rustica (Italian Easter Ham Pie) is a traditional Italian recipe for a classic pie with a sausage, egg and vegetable filling. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Italian version of: Italian Easter Ham Pie (Pizza Rusticas).
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Many traditional Easter recipes are rich and decadent because they signify the end of fasting during Lent. This is the case with this Italian Easter Pie, also known as pizza rustica. It's one of our favourite easy Easter dinner ideas. But don't wait until the holiday to indulge. You can make it any time of the year if you're craving an authentic Italian treat.
This Italian Easter pie recipe calls for more than two pounds of meat, including salami, prosciutto, hot capicola, sweet Italian sausage, and more. It is mixed with ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce, then baked like a true pie for a stuffed pizza experience.
Ingredients:
For the crust:
360g plain (all-purpose) flour
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp salt
12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg
7 tbsp ice water
For the filling:
225g sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
450g whole-milk ricotta cheese
225g low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cubed
⅛ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
4 large eggs
225g salami, cubed
225g hot capicola, cubed
225g smoked ham, cubed
60g thinly-sliced prosciutto
200g whole roasted red bell peppers, drained and patted dry with paper towels
275g frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry and pressed between paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible
75g Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)
Method:
Begin by preparing the curst: Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3–4 times, until combined. Add butter and egg then pulse 8–10 times, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle ice water over the dough, then pulse again until dough begins to come together and form a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface; divide in half, and shape into 2 x 10cm disks. Wrap each in clingfilm (plastic wrap), and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C, setting a wire rack in the centre of the oven.
Unwrap 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll to a 40cm circle, and carefully fit into a 22cm springform cake tin coated with cooking spray, leaving a 3cm overhang. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the filling: Cook the Italian sausage in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, breaking up sausage with a spoon until crumbled and cooked through (5 to 7 minutes). Transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside cool completely (about 15 minutes).
Whisk together the ricotta, mozzarella, pepper, and 3 of the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the salami, capicola, and ham.
Layer the prosciutto slices in the base of the prepared dough-lined pan. Spread the ricotta mixture over the prosciutto. Scatter the browned sausage over the ricotta mixture, pressing lightly into an even layer. Layer red bell peppers over sausage; top with spinach and Parmesan.
Roll the remaining dough into a 30cm circle on a lightly floured surface. Carefully place over filling. Trim any overhang so that it’s even with the bottom crust; pinch top and bottom crusts firmly together. Fold dough under and crimp the edges sealed.
Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush liberally over top of the pie. Using a paring knife, cut 4 x 3cm vents in the the top of dough in a circular pattern. Place pie on a baking tray. Transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and bake until crust is golden brown (about 1 hour).
At this point, cover the top of the pie with aluminium foil and bake until a thermometer inserted in centre of pie registers 65°C (about 30 minutes more).
Transfer the pie to a wire rack, and allow to cool at least 3 hours before serving. Carefully remove the sides of the pan, and cut the pie into slices to serve.
Or cool completely, and refrigerate where it will keep for up to 2 days.
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