This week’s recipe post comes to us from New York Post sports editor and self-professed foodie, Jarad Wilk, one of our newest contributors to MrFoodBlog.com. We’ve always been big proponents of leftovers, and we love Jarad’s recipe for Pizzagaina because there’s nothing like enjoying delicious food the second time around!
When someone tells me Easter Sunday is coming, I automatically start to think of kids running around a field searching for multi-colored eggs and candy while being chased around by someone dressed in a bunny suit. I don’t think of Easter in terms of family traditions, I think of it in terms of Peeps and chocolate bunnies staring at me from the shelves of the supermarket. I think of it in terms of those Cadbury Creme Eggs and their commercial with the bunny clucking like a chicken.
But that’s me — someone who does not celebrate Easter. I’m an outsider looking in. While many families were eating honey baked hams, I was putting a slice of brisket on matzo. While I am not familiar with all of the Easter traditions, I enjoy learning about them — and stealing their amazing recipes to try for myself.
I was introduced to one of those Easter traditions last weekend when I watched the making of a dish known as pizzagaina (also known as Pizza Rustica or Easter Pie). It’s simple, it’s savory, it’s versatile and it’s downright delicious. After tasting two different versions of this dish (there are many different ways to make it), I understood why this is a dish people look forward to and crave. And the best news is this: Pizzagaina, which is best when served cold (apparently when served hot, it’s nothing but a hot mess), is even better after the holiday is over — assuming there’s still some of the pie leftover. And it’s good for any meal of the day (though, if you started to eat it for every meal of every day after Easter, you’d likely start calling it pizzagain-a-lotta-weight).
So, what makes this so good? Well, look at the ingredients and you’ll understand.
Recipe: Pizzagaina
Ingredients
1 pre-made refrigerated pie dough (you can also make your own pizza dough, but the pie dough tends to be lighter and flakier)
2 ½ cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 lb. sausage out of casing (browned and drained well)
6 oz. cut up mozzarella cheese
4 oz. asiago or any cheese blend
1 cup parmagiano reggiano or pecorino romano
4 eggs beaten
6 slices genoa salami, sliced thin
3 slices good quality lean ham, sliced thin
Freshly chopped parsley
Black pepper
Instructions
- If you choose to use sweet Italian sausage (and I suggest you do), brown the sausage (out of casing) in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil. When nicely browned, remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel — let it cool down.
- In a separate large bowl, add 2 1/2 cups of whole milk ricotta and your other cheeses (you can use any blend you want, but I highly suggest mozzarella, Parmagiano Reggiano and Asiago), eggs and chopped fresh parsley (fresh parsley is a must).
- Once those ingredients are together, cut your meat (you can substitute other meats like proscuitto or mortadella, if you’d like) into thin slices and add to the cheese and egg mixture — including the cooled sausage.
- Line the bottom of your pan with part of the pie dough (you can make your own pizza dough, but the store-bought pie dough gives a lighter, tastier and less doughy finish). Line up the sides of the pan, too.
- When the dough is ready, pour the cheese/meat mixture into the pan.
- Now, it’s time for the other portion of the dough. Crimp the edges of the dough — nothing fancy, this is a rustic pie. Take a knife and make little slits in the top of the pie. Brush the top of your crust with a little egg wash to give the pie a perfect golden brown finish.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake for one hour. Place your knife in the center of the pie to know everything has set.
- Depending on how you’re planning to serve it, this should serve eight large pie slices, or 24 appetizer slices (though, you’ll want a bigger piece, trust me).
Share and Enjoy
At the end of each holiday, there’s a brief window of time where the only thing you and your family eat are leftovers. You’ve just returned from a big ol’ barbecue filled with good friends and good food. Inevitably, there’s a little too much food to go around, and suddenly, you’re stuck with an entire extra tray of kabobs, half of a large bowl of macaroni salad, and a dozen brownies too many.
