Pizza rustica (Easter Cheese and Salumi Pie)

Frankantipasti, Campania, snack70 Comments

Pizza rustica

Pasquetta, or ‘Little Easter’, known in English as Easter Monday, is a holiday in Italy and much of Europe. Folks traditionally take to the roads to drive out to the countryside and enjoy a fresh air picnic. In Campania and elsewhere, one favorite item in the Pasquetta picnic basket is the pizza rustica, literally ‘rustic pie’, a savory concoction of flake pastry crust with a filling of eggs, cheese and cured meats. It’s a kind of simple country cousin to the more elaborate casatiello, the ne plus ultra of Easter pies. The pizza rustica is much better known abroad, and is much appreciated by Italian-Americans. Of course, whether or not you celebrate Easter Monday, a pizza rustica is equally at home as a starter on the Easter Sunday dinner table.

The only part of this recipe that’s a bit tricky, at least for non-bakers like myself, is the crust. This version uses a crust made from a pasta sfoglia, usually translated into English as puff pastry, made from flour and lard, mixed with just enough water to bring things together. It needs careful handling—not too much kneading, which would develop the glutens and produce a tough crust. And the high fat content means the dough needs to be kept cold or it will quickly become unworkable. Having said that, it’s not as difficult as it may sound. Hey, if I can do it, you can.

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 5oog (1 lb) flour (see Notes)
  • 250g (1/2 lb) lard (or butter)
  • Salt, to taste
  • 100 ml (1/2 cup) tepid water, or enough to form a ball

For the filling:

  • 350g (12 oz) ricotta 
  • 5 medium eggs
  • 350g (12 oz) mozzarella, cut into small cubes (see Notes)
  • 150g (5 oz) prosciutto and/or salami, cut into small cubes (see Notes)
  • 100 g (3-1/2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese (or a mixture of Parmesan and pecorino)
  • Salt and pepper

1 egg, plus a few drops of water (optional)

Directions

Step 1: Making the pasta sfoglia:  Place the flour and the lard in a large bowl. Mix them together with your hands, squeezing the lard through your fingers until it is well incorporated into the flour, forming little grains that will look a bit like moist sand:

 Pizza rustica (prep 1)

Now begin to add the water, mixing this time with a spatula, until the flour has come together. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball:

 Pizza rustica (prep 2)

Wrap the dough ball with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill for about an hour.

Step 2: Making the filling: Put the ricotta and eggs into another large bowl. Mix them well until you have achieved a smooth custard-like mixture:

 Pizza rustica (prep 7)

Now add the other cheeses and cured meats, mixing them into the ricotta and egg mixture with a spatula until the mixture is homogeneous. The mixture will have stiffened up quite a bit:

 Pizza rustica (prep 8)

If you’re still waiting for the dough to chill, place the filling in the fridge too, covered with plastic wrap to keep it moist. (Both dough and filling can wait for several hours, or even overnight, if you like.)

 Step 3: Assembling the pizza rustica: When the dough ball is well chilled, take it from the fridge and unwrap it. Flour your working surface (if possible, it should be marble or granite) and your dough ball, too, to prevent sticking. Take about 2/3 of the dough, flour it well on all sides and form it again into a ball, and flatten the dough ball out a bit with a rolling pin:

 Pizza rustica (prep 3)

Now take the rolling pin and roll out the dough into a fairly thin (but not paper thin) disk, turning the dough with each roll to ensure it comes out as evenly round as you can manage. (No need for perfection here…)

 Pizza rustica (prep 4)

Now you need to place the dough into a pie plate—but whatever you do, don’t try to move this delicate dough with your hands! Instead, roll up the dough with your rolling pin:

 Pizza rustica (prep 5)

Now, using your rolling pin, transfer the dough onto a pie plate and unfurl it on top of the plate, making sure it covers the entire plate by a good measure. Press the dough down into the plate to make a shell, like so:

 Pizza rustica (prep 6)

Cut off the excess dough that hangs over the edges of the plate. Now place all the stuffing into the shell:

 Pizza rustica (prep 9)

Now you have two choices: you can roll out the remaining dough into another disk, to use as a cover for the pie OR, as I like, you can take a little more time and effort to make a lattice top. For the latter, roll the remaining dough out into a long, rectangular shape, then using a pastry wheel, cut the dough into long strips. If you’re hand isn’t too steady (like mine) you can use the rolling pin as a guide:

 Pizza rustica (prep 10)

Now lay the strips over the filling in a cross-hatch pattern. Take up all the remaining dough and roll it out into one long strip. Twist that last strip so it resembles a cord and use it to create a trim all around the edge of the pice plate. You  should wind up with a pie like this:

 Pizza rustica (prep 11)

Finally, if you like, take one more egg, add a few drops of water and beat them together well with a fork. Then brush this egg wash all over the surface of the pie. This will help the surface to brown and develop an attractive sheen.

Step 4: Baking: Place the pizza rustica into a moderately hot over, say about 190C/375F for an hour or so, until the filling is cooked through and the top is nicely brown. If you like a browner crust, you can raise the temperature for the last 15 minutes or so, using the convection setting if you have one.

Let the pie cool for 20-30 minutes before eating. The pie can also be eaten at room temperature which, to my taste, makes it even better. When eaten warm, the filling will be rather creamy and your slices a bit messy, if very tasty:

Pizza rustica (hot slice)

When eaten cold, the filling will firm up quite a bit and the pie can be sliced very neatly, perfect for an Easter Monday picnic:

Pizza rustica (cold slice)

Notes

The crust given here is my personal favorite. It is savory and flaky and delicious. It is not really true puff pastry, however, which involves incorporating the fat into layers of dough to produce a truly ‘puffy’ result. It is more like a more homely pie crust. Another version of the dish, however, is made with a dough made from flour and egg with only a bit of butter or lard for enrichment. It makes a firmer but less friable crust, better some say for eating cold although I would disagree. Some recipes also call for adding sugar to the crust, which, of course, makes it sweet. The contrast of sweet crust and savory filling intrigues me (some pasta timbales are made that way as well) but, not having much of a sweet tooth, I haven’t tried it.

The filling always begins with the egg and ricotta mixture, but from there you can add the cheeses and cured meats you like. Smoked provola is a common addition and provolone (not too aged) would also be nice. Older recipes, including the first written recipe from Il Cuoco Galante, an 18th century Neapolitan cookbook by the illustrious Vincenzo Corrado, calls for fresh sausage, cooked and sliced.

Besides its role in a picnic, you can serve pizza rustica as part of an antipasto spread for Easter dinner itself, just like we did…

Antipasti (ensemble)

Pizza rustica (Easter Cheese and Salumi Pie)

Total Time3 hours

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 5 oog 1 lb flour (see Notes)
  • 250 g 1/2 lb lard (or butter)
  • Salt to taste
  • 100 ml 1/2 cup tepid water, or enough to form a ball

For the filling:

  • 350 g 12 oz ricotta
  • 5 medium eggs
  • 350 g 12 oz mozzarella, cut into small cubes (see Notes)
  • 150 g 5 oz prosciutto and/or salami, cut into small cubes (see Notes)
  • 100 g 3-1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese (or a mixture of Parmesan and pecorino)
  • Salt and pepper

Plus:

  • 1 egg plus a few drops of water (optional)

Instructions

  • Making the pasta sfoglia: Place the flour and the lard in a large bowl. Mix them together with your hands, squeezing the lard through your fingers until it is well incorporated into the flour, forming little grains that will look a bit like moist sand.
  • Now begin to add the water, mixing this time with a spatula, until the flour has come together. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough ball with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
  • Making the filling: Put the ricotta and eggs into another large bowl. Mix them well until you have achieved a smooth custard-like mixture. Now add the other cheeses and cured meats, mixing them into the ricotta and egg mixture with a spatula until the mixture is homogeneous. The mixture will have stiffened up quite a bit. If you're still waiting for the dough to chill, place the filling in the fridge too, covered with plastic wrap to keep it moist. (Both dough and filling can wait for several hours, or even overnight, if you like.)
  • Assembling the pizza rustica: When the dough ball is well chilled, take it from the fridge and unwrap it. Flour your working surface (if possible, it should be marble or granite) and your dough ball, too, to prevent sticking. Take about 2/3 of the dough, flour it well on all sides and form it again into a ball, and flatten the dough ball out a bit with a rolling pin. Now take the rolling pin and roll out the dough into a fairly thin (but not paper thin) disk, turning the dough with each roll to ensure it comes out as evenly round as you can manage. (No need for perfection here...)
  • Now you need to place the dough into a pie plate—but whatever you do, don't try to move this delicate dough with your hands! Instead, roll up the dough with your rolling pin. Then, using your rolling pin, transfer the dough onto a pie plate and unfurl it on top of the plate, making sure it covers the entire plate by a good measure. Press the dough down into the plate to make a shell. Cut off the excess dough that hangs over the edges of the plate. Place all the stuffing into the shell.
  • Now you have two choices: you can roll out the remaining dough into another disk, to use as a cover for the pie OR, as I like, you can take a little more time and effort to make a lattice top. For the latter, roll the remaining dough out into a long, rectangular shape, then using a pastry wheel, cut the dough into long strips. If you're hand isn't too steady (like mine) you can use the rolling pin as a guide:
  • Now lay the strips over the filling in a cross-hatch pattern. Take up all the remaining dough and roll it out into one long strip. Twist that last strip so it resembles a cord and use it to create a trim all around the edge of the pice plate.
  • Finally, if you like, take one more egg, add a few drops of water and beat them together well with a fork. Then brush this egg wash all over the surface of the pie. This will help the surface to brown and develop an attractive sheen.
  • Baking: Place the pizza rustica into a moderately hot over, say about 190C/375F for an hour or so, until the filling is cooked through and the top is nicely brown. If you like a browner crust, you can raise the temperature for the last 15 minutes or so, using the convection setting if you have one.
  • Let the pie cool for 20-30 minutes before eating. The pie can also be eaten at room temperature which, to my taste, makes it even better.

70 Comments on “Pizza rustica (Easter Cheese and Salumi Pie)”

  1. How have I not seen this yet? We just made a pizza rustica and it’s made with pizza dough instead of puff pastry! We make the filling similar to yours with more eggs, ricotta, fresh cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino, dry cured sausages and pancetta. OMG, I always say that we should make it more than just Easter! Hope you had a lovely Easter, Frank!

  2. Do you recommend “00” flour?

    Some recipes call for that type, which I have, but I’m curious.

  3. Two questions: (1) I am using a 9” x 3” spring form pan. Is this recipe the right yield for that size pan, or do I need to double it? (2) I am going to use a pasta brisé instead of the crust here. In that case, at what temperature should I bake this, and for how long?

    1. Hi Leonardo! Thanks for your questions. The pan you see in the recipe is about 9″x 2″, so I guess you would need to up the measurements a bit if you want to fill the pan to the brim, but I doubt you’d need to double them. But perhaps just to be on the safe side… you might have some filling left over, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. As for the pasta brisé I wouldn’t do anything different in terms of baking. Should work fine at the time and temp given here. But do check it after, say, 30, then 45 minutes to see how it’s coming along.

  4. Heard from friends in Buenos Aires State/Province (not the huge city) and they always make Pascualina (note Spanish spelling), though they are more Basque that Italian (though part of the family is from Umbria).

    I’m sure that Pope Francis (Francesco/Francisco, a perfect bilingual) had a bit of it at the Vatican; people of all origins eat it in Argentina). I’m not particularly religious but did watch the very moving Easter Mass and Urbi e Orbi statement in front of an empty Saint-Peter’s square and almost empty Saint-Peter’s Cathedral.

    As for me, alone, I couldn’t be bothered with that and made an arroz con pollo. It was fine, but I miss being with my friends and making somewhat more elaborate dishes.

  5. Frank, made this for the first time. As some background I grew up in an Italian neighborhood in New Haven, CT, most of us harkened back to the Amalfi area and “Pizzagain” as we called it was a staple. Well I have to say I followed your recipe and it couldn’t have come out better! Posted pictures on my IG, and my New Haven paisans were pretty impressed, which is the ultimate compliment! Thanks for the great recipes and Happy Easter! (PS my IG is @sdsanta and I posted a picture there).

  6. MY SISTER IN LAW USED TO MAKE THIS, BUT SHE WOULD ALSO PUT SOME ELBOW MACARONI IN IT!! I THINK IT WAS TO MAKE IT GO FARTHER. SHE HAD TO MAKE SEVERAL! SHE WOULD USE SALAMI!! IT WAS YUMMY. AM GLAD TO HAVE FOUND THIS RECIPE SO I CAN MAKE THIS YEAR!! THANKS

  7. Dear Frank,

    Your website is a joyful discovery and I am spending far too much time enjoying every detail of it.

    Just for the information of other UK based readers, the pastry recipe given for this pizza rustica would be akin to ‘shortcrust pastry’, (albeit with an unusual emphasis on lard). Pasta sfoglia, or puff pastry involves quite a complicated process of rolling out the dough and then folding it over itself, sandwiching butter between the layers, turning, and rolling again – an action repeated several times to produce the ‘leaves’ of puff pastry, as per the sweet version familiar in millefoglie.

    If indeed UK readers would like to try a pizza rustica using puff pastry, I would thoroughly recommend buying it ready made and chilled from any supermarket. This will leave you with more time to:
    a) Eat the pie, and,
    b) Read this fab website.

    Cordiali saluti,

    Caralyn

  8. I know it’s not Easter by a long shot. But I am trying all sorts of recipes out. I wasn’t sure what mozzarella to use so I chose the fresh sheeps milk, tried buying the best ricotta and prosciutto. Kept it simple. Some of the best parts was an easy pastry to roll, the general quick preparation and finally the deliciousness of the recipe itself. This is not the first recipe we have tried that you have published and so far everything has be very successful. That in itself is a refreshing change. So thank-you very much.

    1. I think that just about any quality mozzarella would work fine, Dale. In fact, even plain old (and less expensive) *fior di latte* will do fine, seeing as the cheese will be mixed in with some many other ingredients. I would save a true buffalo mozzarella for enjoying on its own. One thing I will say, if you use fresh mozzarella, the kind that comes in its own water, drain it a bit to eliminate the excess moisture.

      1. Thank-you for your answer Frank. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the pizza rustica. Without a doubt it will be made again.

  9. This looks so amazing Frank! It’s always great to discover new Italian recipes (as pizza rustica isn’t sold/cooked in Greece). Loved it! Us Greeks and Italians love our pittas (savory pies) and pizzas don’t we? 🙂
    Thank you for another delicious recipe!
    Panos and Mirella

    1. Oh yes, we certainly do love our savory pies! As you may know, there’s another Easter pie, which I made this year, from Liguria, with very thin, multi-layered pastry over a spinach and ricotta filling. It’s called simply torta pasqualina, or Easter pie, in Italian. Very much like spanakopita…

      Anyway, thanks for stopping by, Panos and Mirella!

  10. It s nice to revisit your pie again. It is so rich – I only dare make it when lots of people are around. Because I cut sliver after sliver after sliver …

    This is one of the few pie crusts where I am successful! Buona Pasqua!

  11. That is one heck of a pie, Frank!! I will be saving this recipe for when we get back home and I can share with the family!! I have a long list of recipes I want to make but if Hubby and I ate everything I want to make you’d need a forklift to move us around 🙂 You did a great job on the lattice top – I love it. Buona Pasqua e un abbraccio!

  12. This is truly magazine cover material, complimenti! Your recipe echos the ingredients which I grew up with in the northeast. I am forwarding your post to a friend now traveling in Italy as the subject of Pasquetta was part of her per-trip education.

  13. Gorgeous! I made this once, although I think the crust was different, and had no idea it was associated with Easter! I should hurry up and make it and start an Easter tradition!

  14. Είναι μόλις λίγες μέρες που σας ανακάλυψα και φυσικά σας ακολουθώ!
    Με αφορμή το Πάσχα είδα αυτή τη συνταγή ,η οποία μου θυμίζει πολύ ένα είδος τυρόπιτας που έφτιαχνε ο παππούς μου!
    Στη γέμιση έβαζε γλυκιά μυζήθρα (μαλακό άσπρο τυρί)και αυγά και στο τελείωμα περνούσε την επιφάνεια με αραιωμένο αυγό και πασπάλιζε πάντα με κανέλα και σουσάμι!!!
    Ήταν μοναδικές και χαρακτηριστικές της πατρίδας του (Λέρος- Δωδεκάνησα)!
    Μετανιώνω που δεν κάθισα ποτέ μαζί του ,να τις φτιάξουμε μαζί,γιατί ποτέ δεν τις έχω κάνει ίδιες με εκείνον!
    Σας εύχομαι Καλό Πάσχα!

  15. I JUST made this in San Diego, packed it in a box and carried it on the plane all the way to our relatives in Buffalo, NY for Easter. Mine was very similar to yours, but I also had cubed Soppresatta and 1 cubed roasted Italian sausage. It disappeared within minutes! 🙂

  16. Check out Judy Rodger’s rough puff pastry recipe in her book, Zuni Cafe. It makes a great rustic puff pastry, but in difficulty it is closer to a pie crust than true puff. But I now have to try your pizza rustica recipe with that crust! I had covered an easter frittata on my blog recently, I would call the original a crustless version of this. But I love a good, flaky tender crust!

  17. Frank – I haven’t made pizza rustica in years. It seems to get lost in the shuffle of all the other Easter foods and I’m too full and/or tired to make it the day after for Pasquetta. But looking at your beautiful creation makes me sorry I didn’t do it this year. I’ll have to put it on the table for next year for sure. Those traditions should stay alive.

  18. Questa Pasquetta il tempo , almeno nella mia zona, non è stato clemente e non c’è stata la possibilità di fare un picnic. Conservo la ricetta per quando finalmente la primavera permetterà una bella scampagnata , grazie ! un abbraccio !

  19. It isn’t Easter in our house if my husband doesn’t have a slice of pizza rustica. I like the lattice top on yours…make it so pretty. What is nice is that is freezes well.

  20. You make this look so easy to prepare Frank. What a wonderful tradition in Italian cuisine for the season of Easter.
    Ciao,
    Roz

  21. I remember eating this but never gave thought to who made it. Dad is probably right “the little pie maker” most likely made it….I was wondering though, is that nana’s rolling pin she used to keep behind the washing machine in her kitchen. And what ever happened to the big board she made ravioli on – also kept behind the washing machine…

  22. I remember eating it too…no matter who made it.. I was just wondering was that nana’s rolling pin she kept behind the washing machine in her kitchen. And what do you suppose happened to that large board she made the ravioli on – also found behind the washing machine.

  23. I went against tradition and made a polenta pie instead of pizza rustica. Big mistake. It means I still need to make pizza rustica – and I will be trying your “homely” crust – because they are somehow the most beautiful. (And add spinach – family tradition.)

      1. As I pointed out in my response to your yummy e-mail this morning, the Pasqualina, the Easter Pie from Liguria in Northwestern Italy, is full of spinach, chard, artichokes and other green things. Often it is vegetarian, but you can add cubed ham or lardons.
        http://www.visitgenoa.it/en/torta-pasqualina-easter-tart

        There are many recipes, at first I was turning up just recipes in Italian or Argentinean Spanish but I chose this one as it is in many languages including those, English and French for my friends here in Montréal. A good friend of mine from Argentina is at home now and will probably be sitting down to one this weekend with her family. They make it mostly with chard down there as that vegetable keeps growing through the autumn.

        The Pasqualina is called Pascualina in Argentina and Uruguay. Many people from northwestern Italy emigrated down there more than a century ago and left their mark on the cuisine and language, though there are also Argentineans and Uruguayans of southern and central Italian origins.

        While Liguria is in northern Italy, there was little farmland and a lot of access to the sea, so they did have a traditional Mediterranean diet with a lot of vegetables and fish and a limited amount of red meat. Though they went to the pampas to get the latter!

        I’m going to do a google translate on the post in Greek as I LOVE Greek food, which is also very nutritious. As with southern Italian food, I mean the traditional stuff…

        1. Yes, I’m a big fan of Torta pasqualina, too. In fact, I made it for Easter this year! May blog about it, though my cyber-buddy Stefano Arturi wrote *the* definitive post on the subject, imho, just the other week…

  24. Frank,

    I don’t remember Nana making this but, we did enjoy it at Easter. I think zia angelina made it. It looks delish.

    I just mentioned to mom how, as kids, we looked forward to the end of lent when we could eat candy again and especially the pizza dolce that Nana made. Have you ever tried it? There is a restaurant in Naples where the owner’s wife makes a pizza dolce that is very close to Nana’s.

    By the way mom’s corn casserole and snow hut cake were the hit of the party last night.

    L,

    Dad

  25. Found this on my FB wall and followed here – I am so glad I did; obviously won’t now be making for Easter Monday but most definitely for next weekend! Looks heavenly – thank you for taking the time to post up this recipe.

We'd love to hear your questions and thoughts! And if you tried the recipe, we'd love to hear how it went!