Pizza Rustica

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

CHEESE FILLING
MEAT FILLING
PIZZA
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.
: Joe Petolino
: Chronon Computer Co., Mountain View CA
: sun!chronon!petolino
: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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