Pizzagaina
Our 90-plus-year-old Easter “dessert”
Growing up Roman Catholic, spring was a time of giving things up. No meat on Fridays was a given, but on top of that we were told to give something up for Lent’s 40 days — one year, I was a vegetarian. Another, it was cursing. About eight years ago, a co-worker challenged me to give up Instagram — even though I hadn’t been to church in ages (and it had been several years since I had abandoned one of my “bad” habits during Lent), I pulled it off.
The aspect of this practice that was most amusing, though, was that at the end of those 40 days, we’d have pizzagaina. The quiche-like pie is stuffed to the brim with nearly a dozen eggs, three pounds of ricotta cheese, and four different Italian charcuterie meats — an incredibly indulgent treat after being “pious” and practicing abstaining for more than a month.
Always served on Easter Sunday (during the dessert course, for unknown reasons), my grandmother’s recipe for pizzagaina was also her mother’s, meaning that it’s been in our family for at least 90 years. It’s also called pizza rustico, or simply Italian Easter Pie, and variations run the gamut.
My grandmother remembers that her mother would always make it on Good Friday, then hide it on top of the fridge so no one would touch it until Easter Sunday. (“Somehow, no one ever got sick,” she remembers.) Today, ours stays refrigerated until we’re ready to serve it. It’s usually eaten cold, but it’s also good fresh out of the oven (sorry, Grandma, I definitely had some of this before Easter Sunday this year.) or quickly reheated in the microwave. My grandmother isn’t sure why, but we always have ours with dessert on Easter, and she even included the recipe in the dessert section of her cookbook.
She also still follows the recipe in her cookbook — although with store-bought pie crust. (I also used store-bought crust, but feel free to be a try-hard and make your own!) Originally, the recipe called for 12-14 eggs, but as large eggs became more sought after by consumers, she hand-wrote an adjustment to use “just” 10-12 if you’re using large eggs. I initially made the recipe with 12, but the entirety of the mixture would not fit in my baking dish, so I’ve settled on 10 being the right amount.
As far as meats go, she calls for pepperoni, prosciutto, Genoa salami, and ham. I used all those, but went with a spicy pepperoni. This was just a happy accident, but I liked the contrast it provided to all the creamy, cheesy elements. My family’s recipe also calls for mozzarella cheese in addition to the ricotta and parm, but I’ve seen a few takes online that use provolone instead. “Every town in Italy would have their own recipe,” grandma says.
This whole pie served not only Mark and I on more than one occasion, but also my brother and cousin (who have comically large appetites), our two neighbors with a newborn, and at least six of my coworkers. So — prepare to eat this with a lot of friends. Then, maybe ask your doctor about Lipitor?
Pizzagaina
Serves 12
Ingredients
2 pie crust sheets
10 large eggs
½ tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 lbs ricotta cheese
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 stick spicy pepperoni, diced
½ pound Genoa salami, diced
¼ pound prosciutto, diced
½ pound boiled ham
1 additional egg, for egg wash
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a lasagna or 9x12 baking pan and set aside.
Roll out one of the pie crusts and press into the bottom and sides of your baking pan. Roll out the second and cut into strips.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add ricotta, salt, pepper and Parmesan and combine.
With a large spoon, mix in diced meats and mozzarella cheese.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan with your pie crust.
Top the pie with the strips of crust, using a lattice pattern. Then, coat the strips and edges with the egg wash.
Bake for 1 hour, until set. Let cool completely, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
can confirm, is delicious!!