pafret Loc: Northeast

Mama Teresa's Pizza Rustica

Salami pie - Pizza Chiena (filled pizza) - or - Pizza Rustica

Makes One 9 x 11½ x 2 Pie

1 dozen beaten eggs
8 hard boiled eggs, slice 4 crumble 4
1 cup farmers or ricotta cheese
4 Oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Cubed
4 Oz Provolone cubed
4 Oz Mozzarella cubed
½ tsp Black pepper to taste
2 Tblsp grated Parmesan or Romano
¾ lb Genoa salami
¾ lb Proscuitto sliced thin**
¼ lb Sopressata sliced thin**
¼ lb Salami - dry Sausage sliced thin**
½ lb home baked Ham sliced thin**
2 lb of dough per pie, for bottom*
2 packages of Pillsbury Pie Shells*
1 lb of dough per pie for top of pie*

*Note: Commercial Pizza or Bread dough will bake to a tough impenetrable, inedible, crust that most people rip off and discard. A better solution is to use Pillsburys Prepared Pie crusts. These hold the filling well, they are easy to use and they will not form a half inch thick, jaw-breaking, wad around the filling. Or, if you are adept, make your own pie crust. The pictures depict the pie with a dough crust but that level of expertise in stretching dough exceeds my abilities so I use Pillsburys crust.

**Also Note that you can substitute cheaper Home Baked Ham or Ham Luncheon meat for the Proscuitto. Hormel Cure 81 is a common substitute. Also it is easier to mix the filling if you buy the meats in ¼” thick slices, then cut them so you end up with ¼” dice instead of thin slices. Tastes the same but cuts down the clumping problems in mixing.

There are over three pounds of processed meats and cheeses in this pie so don’t even think about salt. the exact charcuterie mix is not so important, if you don’t have access to an item add in more of the others to compensate.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Beat 1 dozen eggs, add pepper and all of the cheeses and mix well to incorporate.
Cut up the slices of Salamis, Proscuitto, Ham, Sausage and Sopressata in smaller pieces. Add to egg mixture.
Next add hard-boiled, crumbled egg and mix well to incorporate.
Grease pan with crisco, lard or butter, put in dough or pie crust, then alternately layer salami and egg mixture and sliced hard boiled egg. (Aluminum half-sheet pans work well, use two to provide support for this very heavy pie) Fill almost to the top.
Cover with 1 lb of dough or a pie dough topping.
Glaze dough with Crisco and some beaten egg. If using Pillsbury prepared shells, roll them out to fit the pans, piecing together an extra half shell as required, grease & glaze as indicated.
Bake 325-350 for 2 to 2½ hours.

This is a family favorite so I usually make three of these, one to share with my children, one for serving and one for me. Mine is hidden in the pantry.