Pizza Rustica

                                                    Pizza Rustica

Note: Please do not be afraid of making the dough.  The filling is my Nans recipe, and the dough recipe is an adaptation from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook, and it is foolproof!!. You will need a 9” springform pan.

Pastry Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour

9 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into cubes

2 egg yolks

6 TBS Iced Water

Heaping teaspoon salt

1 TBS Sugar

FILLING

6 large eggs, beaten

6 egg whites whipped into peaks

1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pound of ricotta cheese

1 cup cubed salami

1 cup cubed ham

½ cup cubed dry salami

4 links of Italian sausage removed from casing, fried and crumbled

Pepper to taste

1 TBLS breadcrumbs

GLAZE

1 egg yolk

2 TBS milk

1 tsp coarse salt

DOUGH:

Add flour and butter to a dish. Place dish in the freezer for 10 minutes. Stir together yolks, water, salt and place cup in the refrigerator. When the dough is chilled, put the flour, butter, and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mix looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks, 6 TBLS of water and salt. Pulse until dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Divide into two discs, one a little larger than the other and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. The larger disc will be to line the bottom of the springform pan.

FILLING:

Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Roll the larger piece of dough to cover the bottom and sides, leaving a one-inch overhang. Sprinkle with the tablespoon of breadcrumbs. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F,  then place a cookie sheet in the oven.

 In a large bowl add the cooled browned sausage with all of the above filling ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Fold in whipped egg whites. Pour the filling into the chilled pastry-lined springform pan. Turn over the edges to crimp decoratively. If there are any leftover dough scraps, I use a cookie cutter and add a design to the top.

Just before baking, brush the top with milk/egg wash. Sprinkle with coarse salt and prick the dough with a fork here and there to make steam holes. Place pan on the hot cookie sheet cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then turn down oven to 350 degrees for another 50 minutes. Allow cooling for approx.  30 minutes.

Can be eaten hot or lukewarm.