How to Make an Italian Easter Pie / CM

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“ITALIAN EASTER PIE (PIZZAGAINA)” IS IN:

ITALIAN EASTER PIE (PIZZAGAINA) 
This rich, Italian holiday favorite is served as part of traditional Easter fare, and sometimes at Christmas.

Known in our family as "Pizzagaina", (Pizza jay-nah) this multi-layered dish is quite an undertaking to prepare, but the effort spent will be well worth your time. And you'll be able to prepare it a day or two in advance, leaving you free to relax and enjoy the holidays with your guests.

This recipe has been a treasured favorite in our family for many generations, and now, it can be a tradition in your family, too.

Dough:

4 1/2 to 5 cups flour, more if needed
1/2 cup whole milk, scalded
1/2 cup water, lukewarm
1 teaspoon honey or sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons butter flavored Crisco (or butter)
3 tablespoons lard
3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
5 eggs (for dough)
1 egg, boiled
1 egg, mixed with 1 tablespoon water for glaze

The optional lemon juice is used to help make the dough easier to handle.

Shortening: All butter may be used, or a combination of butter, vegetable shortening and lard for the flakiest crust.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 4 1/2 cups flour. Using the dough hook attachment, work 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons of lard, and 2 tablespoons butter flavored Crisco into dough, as though you were making a pie crust.

In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon honey in 1/2 cup lukewarm water, stirring well until dissolved. Bring water temperature to about 105°F (or warm to the touch). Add yeast and stir well. Stir in 1/3 cup flour to "feed" yeast. The yeast mixture should begin to bubble and foam up. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Tip: It's a good idea to keep more than one type or brand of yeast on hand if you bake your own bread often. When you measure out your yeast, you can use half from one jar, and half from the other brand of yeast at the same time. This is good insurance in case the yeast isn't as active as you'd like it to be; if only half the yeast is good, your bread will still rise; it will just take longer.

In a small heavy bottomed saucepan, scald 1/2 cup milk. Watch milk carefully during the scalding process and remove from heat when the milk begins to foam slightly. Set aside and allow to sit undisturbed. A skin will form around edges and on top of milk as it cools. Remove the coagulated milk from the edges and skim the top skin off using a spoon. Pour the cooled (85°F) milk into the yeast mixture.

Using the same saucepan the milk was heated in, melt 4 tablespoons butter. When butter has nearly melted, add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and remove from heat. Allow to cool to nearly 85°F.

Break 5 eggs into flour mixture. Mix on medium setting 2 minutes. Add butter mixture and 3 tablespoons buttermilk or sour cream. Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and combine. Add 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (do not substitute).

Knead at medium speed of electric mixer for 8-10 minutes. If dough is too stiff for easy mixing, add a few tablespoons water.

Turn out onto lightly floured board and using your hands, which you've rubbed with olive oil (remove jewelry!), knead gently for 5 minutes. Dough should be light and airy, and somewhat sticky. As you knead, you should hear little "pops" as air bubbles break and new air pockets are formed.

Place into a greased bowl, turn once to coat with oil, cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm, draft free place to rise until doubled in bulk.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Divide in 1/2 and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Grease a deep dish pan with olive oil. Line the pan bottom and sides with the rolled out dough, easing dough into pan without stretching. Puncture bottom and sides with fork; coat with egg glaze.

Filling:

1/2 lb mortadella, sliced and chopped
1/2 lb provolone, thinly sliced
1/2 lb capicola (hot ham), very thinly sliced
1/4 lb prosciutto, very thinly sliced
2-3 slices each pepperoni or salami, chopped
1-2 slices sopressato, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 egg yolk (optional - see note below)
1 entire basket Easter cheese (fromaggio fresca)
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 tablespoons Romano cheese, freshly grated
3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, cracked

At your deli, have the cold cuts sliced thinly, with the prosciutto being shaved thinly enough to see through it.

Remove the casing strings from the cold cuts, roll them up and slice them into 1/2 inch wide strips.

For the pepperoni, sopressato, or salami, chop the strips into small squares. Chop half of the mortadella into squares as well, reserving half of it to layer in criss-cross strips to create a layer in the same way that you'll be using the prosciutto.

Measure out a half cup of the ricotta. Add Parmesan and Romano cheese to this, then stir in the cracked whole peppercorns. To crack peppercorns, measure out quantity of whole peppercorns into a plastic bag and then use a rolling pin to crush them as you would bread crumbs.

NOTE: In my family, we don't use eggs to bind the filling in Pizzagaina. The reason it's not needed in this pie is that there is a small amount of ricotta in ratio to the meat and other cheeses. If you prefer, an egg yolk or two may be added to the ricotta, but this is not our tradition (we do use eggs in Pizza Rustica and Calzones if there is a higher ratio of ricotta filling to meat).

Assembly:

Add the filling to the crust, beginning by lining the bottom of the crust with a thin layer of proscuitto, torn into strips. Cover with a scant layer of very thinly sliced boiled eggs (the boiled egg here is optional - feel free to leave it out).

Next, add a layer of ricotta, Parmesan, Romano, cracked pepper mixture. Place a layer of torn capicola to cover the layer. Next, place a thin layer of provolone cheese.

Cover this layer with the remaining 1 cup ricotta which has been mixed with the chopped pepperoni, sopressato, mortadella and capicola.

Place a layer of thin strips of mortadella, and next a layer of fromaggio fresca broken into chunks. Press down slightly if the filling is getting too high. Next, a layer of hot ham, then a final layer of Prosciutto and fromaggio fresca. (An optional variation at this step is to place a single layer of baby spinach, blanched, and squeezed dry into the center ricotta layer.)

In a cup, beat one egg with 1 tablespoon cold water. Use this as the egg glaze for brushing over crust just before baking.

Brush the pie edges with egg glaze so that the top crust will make a better seal with the bottom crust.

Roll out and drape top crust over pie; trim away excess using a kitchen scissors, leaving a 1/2 inch margin.

Press together and crimp edges well, then flute in a decorative fashion.

Insert 3 tin-foil funnels or pie birds through pie crust top in order to allow steam to escape. Let rise 15 minutes, brush crust with egg glaze before baking in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes.

Check at 35 minutes; if browning too rapidly, place aluminum foil tent over top (be sure close oven door quickly or you'll drop the temperature!)

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch slices and allow individual slices to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Calzones: If you have any leftover dough, roll it into small circles, fill with any remaining cold cuts or filling mixture that you have, toss on some shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese; fold into half circle, turnover-like shapes. Fold in and crimp edges, pressing to seal. Brush with glaze after allowing a 15 minute rise. Bake calzones at 375°F for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Submitted by: CM

recipe reviews
Italian Easter Pie (Pizzagaina)
 #25502
 JOHN MASSERI (Arizona) says:
MAKE THIS ONE
 #31638
 Joan Markham (Mississippi) says:
I'm originally from NY and could get the basket cheese but now in Mississippi and basket cheese is not available. Is there anything I can use in place of basket cheese?
 #31644
 Cooks.com replies:
Hi Joan,

You can try using fresh mozzarella or bocconcini that has been grated with a coarse grating blade, then mixed with some ricotta - it's really a firm ricotta that's been pressed and is stored in a whey. It's also somewhat similar to a semi-soft Farmer's cheese, but Farmer's cheese has a little less flavor. Stay clear of the partially skim ricotta and only use whole milk ricotta.

-- CM
 #123834
 Ann replies:
Good news... Costco sells Tuma cheese which is similar to basket cheese. We have used it on the west coast because we cannot get the fresh basket cheese out here. This is delicious.
 #34767
 Jean (New York) says:
my mother made this EVERY year for Easter .. its AMAZING and so worth the trouble and time !!! very high sodium though but ohhh sooooooooooooo delish !! and in re-reading it .. i just noticed that my mother used to put a layer of beaten egg in between the cold cuts as well .. so it formed a very thin layer of cooked egg as well and she never used ricotta cheese .. that basket cheese is amazing for this though since its drier than regular mozarella ... it was readily available in the city but im upstate NY now and its not easy to find and usually is only around at Easter time
 #34831
 Cooks.com replies:
Hi Jean,

The basket cheese is being made in a place in Texas now, too, but not sure where. Saw it on TV once and they said they do mail order.

We get it locally in the Northeast around Easter, too. As far as the egg goes, my grandmother used that in her lasagna as well. You can also add eggs directly to the ricotta to firm it up, as you would when making ravioli. Each one of my relatives and others in the neighborhood had a pet variation, and my mother and I both have made different variations each time it is made.

Would love to have your recipe, too, if you'd like to submit it - use the link at the top right of this page, or go to talkfood.com and add it there.

Thanks for your comment!

-- CM
 #37590
 Shirley replies:
Dear CM.... your recipes are authentic and DELICIOUS!! I just cooked your Pork Chops & Apple Casserole... it was "over the moon".... now this Italian Easter Pie is authentic, as my mom used to make it just like this... only she can't now remember all the ingredients at age 97. Thank YOU for sharing your recipes with the "rest of us"... Much Appreciation, Shirley in California
 #65833
 Leslie (Indiana) replies:
This recipe looks delicious. I really can't wait to make it. Hopefully it won't be that hard. Thank you CM for sharing your recipe!
 #67125
 Cindy Pic (Connecticut) says:
My husband and I like doing this together; lightens the effort and fun to reminisce when doing it like his mother and grandmother.
   #67150
 Michelle (New York) says:
My sister is making this again though my grandmother is still making it because we can never make it like her lol this is an awesome dish so it is really worth the time and effort!
 #67230
 Carla (Oregon) says:
When I was 16 my Pennsylvania Aunt made this for Easter, called it "filled pizza". My mom had no idea what I was talking about. Last year watching the Cake Boss, I saw what he called,"cold cut pie". It looked like what my aunt had made.
You can make your own farmer cheese with whole milk and Junkett tablets. 'm on the west coast, can't find some of the meats but doing the best I can. I can't wait to make this an Easter tradition, 30 years after I had it in PA.
   #67356
 Sharon (New Jersey) says:
Not quite the same sort of crust as my Aunt Margaret's (hers was much thinner, more pastry-like), and the recipe is definitely time consuming, but my boyfriend won't stop eating this.

One problem I found was getting the sides of the soft dough to "stand up" against the greased pan, eventually the fillings held it up. There were so many fillings, I only had room for 1 half of a basket cheese.

Might be able to substitute Indian paneer cheese or queso fresca if you can't find basket cheese/fromaggio fresca. I lucked out and got the very last basket cheese the market had when I went on Good Friday.
 #68142
 Cooks.com replies:
Hi Sharon,

Some people make this pie with a standard pie crust, but this recipe uses a more pastry-like crust (much like a brioche). I've also made it using flaky pastry (classic puff paste) which is very good, too!

-- CM
 #140734
 Lorraine Miraglia replies:
Dear CM, Thank you for sharing this recipe. My Grandmother passed away several years ago, and she made this faithfully every Easter. She would ship a large one to Saint Louis from New York all the years I grew up. My Aunt Rose used to make it too, however, I misplaced the recipe. This looks very close to hers, so I will try. Our family also put boiled eggs that were quartered in with the various layers of meat and cheese. This way when one had a slice, they could see a slice of boiled egg too. Also, my Grandmother would make a design on top with the extra dough, usually signifying Easter, i.e. a cross, and brush the dough with an egg wash, and candy colored sprinkles. I will make this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing.
 #69966
 Jeannie Malatesta Roberts (Mississippi) says:
My grandmother was from Saviano, Italy and I have never seen this recipe in print. Her recipe did not require yeast for the dough and did not have as rich a filling. It was great to see a similiar recipe in print. I believe her home was near Naples and I have always wondered why rice was in the recipe. Was it plentiful in that area?
 #75068
 Vince Pascarella (United States) says:
My Mother made a similar dish but filled it with nuts, pine nuts, and candied dried citrus. I am sure the dough is the same but the filling was different- more like a dessert. Is there a name for it? I have been searching for it but this is as close as I have seen. Family recipe from the Maples region. Thanks!
 #123740
 Denise (California) says:
I was browsing other recipes for fun. My family's Easter pie is ricotta bottom with layers of hard boiled egg, pepperoni, ham and something called farmers cheese. We can't get that so we use mozzarella. It is fun to see all the different renditions of this holiday favorite. We call ours Garbage Pie, ha ha. Don't know how my nana started calling it that. My husband added sliced olives to ours. I will try a variation next year with your ingredients.
   #139881
 Eric (Pennsylvania) says:
My Mom made this family favorite every Easter, but refused to divulge the recipe and eventually took it to her grave. We called it Easter Pie and I never heard it described by anyone else so I thought it was her own creation! This is it to a TEE! I can't wait to try it for myself. Thank you so much for sharing! Mom would be smiling to know I figured it out.
   #153460
 Della (New York) says:
I will be making this again this year, have made them for years. I too place cold cuts and the basket cheese then I have eggs that I beat after each round of cold cuts. I pour eggs with grated cheese then repeat. I layer meat when to the top more eggs and then a 2nd crust goes on. I usually make 6 to 10 pies and man do they go. They are and have been a tradition for years. Delish.
   #178455
 Cindy Schaak (Montana) says:
Thank you for posting this recipe, I am excited about making this awesome sounding pizza. I feel if you love cooking no matter how long the recipe it will always be worth it. love 💕️
 #191690
 Bruce (Oklahoma) says:
Regarding the yeast tip:
I bake a lot of yeast bread using both instant yeast and active dry yeast. I have one jar for each type of yeast. Every couple of weeks or so I buy enveloped packaged yeast of each type and pour them into the appropriate jar. This keeps an ongoing "fresh" supply of yeast. I rotate through the various brands including store brands. This has worked well for me for at least 25 years. Before that I simply opened an envelope and used what came out. That didn't work so well some of the time. There is one common brand that I do not use. Years ago, I experienced frequent failures with that brand. If I am not going to bake for a while I put the jars into the refrigerator.

 

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