Pizza Chiena (Easter Pie)
An indulgent and savory Italian meat and cheese pie with a buttery crust made during for Easter. Also known as pizzagaina and pizza rustica.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 1 9 or 10-inch x 2-inch springform pan can substitute with a larger pan which will make it thinner, can also use a 2-quart oblong Pyrex or roasting dish
Ingredients
Crust: (feel free to substitute with any favorite deep dish crust of choice, you'll need two)
- 3½ cups all purpose flour, unbleached
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup cold butter, cubed equal to 2 sticks or 16 tablespoons
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
Filling:
- 1/2 lb Genoa salami, cut slices in fours see notes*
- 1/2 lb prosciutto, cut slices in fours
- 1/2 lb pepperoni, cut into 1/4-inch slices, then into fours
- 8 oz basket cheese, cut up substitute with 1/2 pound ricotta
- 1/2 lb pot cheese substitute with ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese a handful more is fine
- 4 eggs
- 1 egg yolk, for egg wash
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Add the flour and pepper to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix together.
- Add the cubed cold butter and pulse the processor until the mixture is coarse, grainy and crumbly, pulsing about 20-25 times.
- Add 4 eggs and milk and pulse again until the mixture comes together in a somewhat messy dough.
- Place the dough onto a cold work surface and very briefly knead, just long enough to bring the dough together into a shaggy mass. Do not overwork the dough or the crust will be tough. Cut into two parts, with one dough slightly larger than the other as this will be the base. Lightly form into a disc shape.
- Wrap the discs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before using. The dough can be made 1 day in advance.
For the Filling:
- Preheat the oven 375 ℉. Position one oven rack on the lower tier and one in the middle.
- Mix all the filling ingredients together. If the pot cheese is very dry, add another egg, if using only ricotta it should be fine. While mixing be sure to stir well to combine. The mixture should be solid and not liquidy.
- Roll out the larger dough disc and gently fit into the bottom of the springform pan, gently pressing into the sides and bottom to ensure no pockets of air. Add the filling, smoothing it out with a rubber spatula. Roll out the smaller disc and gently fit on top. Cut any significant overhang. Press the ends of the dough into each other and gently roll forward to secure the crust.
- Mix the egg yolk with a little water to thin and brush on top of the dough. Gently prick the top dough with the tines of a fork in a few spots to let out any steam.
- Bake at 375 ℉ on the lower rack for 20 minutes.
- Transfer to the middle rack. Bake for 60 minutes, or until golden and set.
Notes
*This recipe uses thinly sliced cured meats, not cubed. Feel free to use either. When using sliced note that the meats will naturally adhere together in the pie for a hearty bite. No need to buy cubed if you have plenty of sliced already on hand, it's simply a matter of choice and preference.
My grandmother's recipe calls for 3 hard boiled eggs, cut up, which we've since omitted.