Hi Housewives!
Happy Easter, Happy Passover or Happy Spring to you and yours! I celebrate Easter and enjoy this time of year and most of all being able to spend time with family. I host it and truly enjoy all the cooking and prepping that comes with it. I always think I never have enough food but usually end up with way more than enough and leftovers for a week!
I try to include some old family traditions in my Easter menu along with some new ones. If you are Italian or have ever spent a holiday with Italians then you know the food is never ending.
The day usually begins with some antipaste….I have sweet and hot dry sausage, an assortment of cheeses, crackers, a vegetable crudite and for the very first time my homemade Pizza Rustica which is the recipe I will be sharing with you today.
The 2nd course is Lasagna and Meatballs! Enough said there…that is my favorite part!
The 3rd course is a Roast Beef, Slow Cooked Roast Pork with Sauerkraut, Decadent Mashed Potatoes, Artichoke and Sausage Pie and Sauteed Spinach with Mushrooms…is anyone full yet? I’m full just thinking about it…
Finally, the DESSERTS! My guests are in charge of that but trust me, there isn’t a shortage of sweets. There are Pies, Cakes, and Cookies galore and oh yes maybe, some fruit.
OK…so now that you know what we will be eating, let’s move onto my recipe of the week. I have never made Pizza Rustica and there are 100s of different versions and variations. I wanted the simplest and easiest one I could find. I remember having it as a kid and really only remember dry sausage in it. A lot of recipes call for all types of Italian meats such as Proscuitto, Ham etc…you can add those if you like but I wanted it as true to how I had it long ago. My aunt sent me this recipe which comes from her sister-in-law and I followed it but made some of my own adjustments. I did not make my own crust, maybe next time. This recipe makes 2 pies.
- 4 Frozen Pie Crusts (thaw for 15-20 minutes) 9 inch
- 1 pound sweet dry sausage (casing removed and quartered)
- 1 pound of ricotta
- 1 pound of provolone cheese
- handful of Pecorino Romano grated cheese
- 1 dozen eggs
- ground black pepper
- 2 more eggs for egg washing the top crust
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl well. When combined put in 2 pie shells. Cover with the other two pies shells and poke holes in the dough with a fork or a knife.
Mix a couple of eggs in a bowl and egg wash the top crust. Bake at 350 for 1 hour until top is a light golden brown.
The judge and the jury have not been let out on this one yet….I will post how it came out tomorrow when we all dig in!
Happy Easter my Housewifeys!
Enjoy!
RHC
UPDATE: It passed the test, the toughest critics weighed in and it was a yummy success!