Pizza Rustica

This I made for the Robber hoping he would love me forever. Instead, he just slathered this with catsup. Well he loves me forever anyway. I was proud of myself for making this recipe and having it turn out pretty much exactly like it should. The crust and the filling were both perfect!

Notes: I had to add serious amounts of flour to this dough while kneading it to make the correct product. I don't know if it is better to just not add as much water, or add more flour while kneading? At any rate, if you follow the directions you will get a very gummy pre-kneaded dough and will have to grapple with that mess.

I baked mine in an 8 x 13 and a 9 x 9 pan because I didn't have a 10 x 15 and I still had lots of dough left over, which I froze and hope to use for empanadas, calzones, or pizza in the future.

I didn't buy the diced form of some of the meats, and in the future I definitely would do so because it was a mess trying to cut up the sliced versions of the meat. It may be cheaper to do it that way also-- as this cost a pretty penny to make!

This feeds an ARMY-- or a Bob. So halving the recipe would make it cheaper and a lot more feasible, you could probably bake it in an 8 x 13 pan. Apparently this is an Italian Easter recipe. I guess it feeds and ARMY or a large Italian family.

This is a lot of work, but delicious! And good cold too, you can just take in a slice and eat it without warming it up and it is good that way as well as-- I hate to say this-- with catsup. Shudders!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/dining/30feedrex.html?ref=dining

Adapted from Carlo’s Bakery, Hoboken, N.J.

Time: 21/2 hours, plus time for cooling

Ingredients:

FOR THE DOUGH:

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound chilled salted butter, cut into large pieces
5 large eggs, beaten

FOR THE FILLING:

12 ounces prosciutto, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces boiled ham, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces pepperoni, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces soppressata, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces mozzarella, in 1/4-inch dice
8 ounces provolone, in 1/4-inch dice
2 pounds ricotta
4 ounces grated pecorino Romano
10 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pepper

1 large egg, beaten, for brushing crust.

Directions:

1. For the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together 6 cups flour and the salt. Using a pastry cutter, large fork, or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and knead for 1 minute. Add about 1 1/4 cups ice water, a little at a time, to form a cohesive dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms a large smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

2. For the filling: Mix the meats, cheeses, the 10 eggs and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the dough into two pieces: two-thirds for the bottom crust and one-third for the top. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion of the dough into a rectangle to line the bottom and sides of a 10-by-15-inch glass baking dish, with some overhang. Add the filling and smooth it lightly. Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water.

4. Roll out the remaining dough to cover the top of the dish with some overhang. Trim off excess dough and crimp the edges to seal. Poke several sets of holes across the top with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush top and edges with the beaten egg, then return to the oven until golden brown, another 45 minutes. Let pie cool completely before serving.

Yield: One 10-by-15-inch pie.