easter pie

Active Time 45 min Inactive Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 45 min

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ground black pepper

8 large eggs, divided

4 tbsp vegetable oil

15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese

¼ lb proscuttini block, diced

¼ lb piccolo salami block, diced

¼ lb dry Italian sausage block, diced

¼ lb mozzarella cheese block, diced

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, and black pepper and stir to combine. In a separate small mixing bowl, beat 3 eggs with the oil until combined. Make a well in the flour and pour the egg mixture into the well. Stir the egg mixture with a fork to slowly combine with the flour. Once the flour becomes incorporated, start to knead the dough with your hands. Knead dough for 1-2 minutes or until it becomes one ball and then allow to rest in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature while you prepare the filling.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta and remaining 5 eggs together until combined. Add the diced meats, diced cheese, and parmesan cheese and stir to evenly coat and combine.

Prepare a flat surface with flour. Roll the dough ball out on the floured surface into a 10 in by 12 in rectangle, the dough should be about ⅛ in thick. Transfer the dough to 7×9-inch rectangle glass baking dish and press down into the dish and up along the sides to mold into the shape of the dish. Trim along the top edge of the dish so that the dough is flush with the top edge of the dish. Save the trimmed dough and roll back out into 9 in and 7 in long strips that are ½ in wide. Roll a pastry wheel along the strip edges to carve a crimped pattern. Set the strips aside.

Transfer the ricotta filling into the prepared crust. Place the dough strips over the filling, overlapping them over each other. Crimp the strip edges to the dough edge. Lightly wet a pastry brush with the filling and brush the strips. Bake for 1 hour or until the filling is no longer jiggly and the top and crust are a golden brown color. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Makes 24-26 chunk slices. Great to serve as an appetizer at Easter dinner!