Pizza Rustica

Name: Pizza Rustica
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 3 cups all purpose flour; 1 cup fine cornmeal or polenta; 2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1.25 (2 1/2) sticks unsalted butter, cubed and chilled; 2/3 cup ice water (plus 1 tablespoon if needed); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 12 ounces hot or mild Italian sausage, casings removed; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained; ½ teaspoon Calabrian chili paste, optional; 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta; 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded; 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 2 extra tablespoons, for topping; 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped; 4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend; 1 large egg, beaten to blend

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This is a celebratory Easter dish from the south of Italy - but it's so good, I encourage you to make it for just about any occasion. It's part quiche, part deep dish pizza, and just completely divine and so decadent.

The great thing about this dish too is that you can make it a day ahead of time, then pop it back in the oven to warm up before serving.

Feel free to play around with the fillings ingredients, too - while you need the eggs and cheese to sort of hold everything together, you could change the seasonings and herbs, and even add sun dried tomatoes or chopped artichokes.

Pizza Rustica

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Servings

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

60 minutes

Calories

751

Author:

Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

For The Crust:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup fine cornmeal or polenta

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2 teaspoon kosher salt
1.25 (2 1/2) sticks unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
2/3 cup ice water (plus 1 tablespoon if needed)

For The Filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces hot or mild Italian sausage, casings removed
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (10-ounce) package frozen cut-leaf spinach, thawed and drained
½ teaspoon Calabrian chili paste, optional

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1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, plus 2 extra tablespoons, for topping
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend

To Assemble:

1 large egg, beaten to blend

Instructions

To make the crust, to a large bowl add the flour, cornmeal and salt. Use your hand to combine everything together. Add the cold butter and begin quickly working it with your fingers, smearing it slightly to make small streaks of butter with flour and pieces of butter the size of a chickpeas. Do not over work. Add the ice water and stir to combine. When it is just starting to come together, pour the mixture out onto a clean surface and knead the mixture 4 or 5 times to bring it together. Form a flat disk and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, position the rack on the bottom of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute until golden brown, breaking the sausage into pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Into a large bowl, add egg yolks and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, the Calabrian chili paste if using, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the sausage, the spinach and prosciutto to the mixture and stir to combine.
Take the refrigerated dough, and cut off about 2/3 of the flat disk for the bottom portion of the crust. Roll the larger piece on a lightly floured work surface to a 17-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch springform pan. Trim the dough overhang to 1 inch. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan. Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then crimp the dough edges decoratively. Brush the beaten 1 large egg over the entire pastry top. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top. Bake on the bottom shelf until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes. Release the pan sides and transfer the pizza to a platter. Cut into wedges and serve.