Mary and Brian's Recipes

Pizzagaino
Category Italian
Events:
Ingredients
For the Dough 1 pound flour (to ensure a good crust, it’s best to weigh the flour) 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 sticks cold butter (1/2 lb), cut into small pieces 1/4 cup whole or skim milk, plus a little more if needed at the end 1 beaten egg with a pinch of salt to brush the crust For the Filling 32 ounces ricotta cheese (well drained, preferably the night before) 1 dash nutmeg 25 cracks black pepper 2 large eggs 1 cup sharp provolone, 1/2″ dice 1 cup Fontina, 1/2″ dice 1 cup smoked mozzarella, 1/2″ dice 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or caciocavallo, grated 1/4 pound Boars Head Piccolo Prosciuttoor Speck, sliced 1/8″ thick 1/4 pound Boars Head Pickle Pepperor capicola, sliced 1/8″ thick 1/4 pound Boars Head Crushed Peppermill Turkey, sliced 1/8″ thick (NOTE: You can substitute 3/4 pounds of 3 to 4 of your favorite meats for the above… chicken, pork, ham, boar, sweet or spicy sausage broken up, etc.)
Method
Making the Dough for the Crust In either a stand mixer with a dough hook, or a food processor with a blade, add all the flour and salt and mix a bit before adding the small pieces of butter. If using a stand mixer, you can mix on medium–if using a food processor, pulse until the mixture starts coming together, but don’t over-process or your crust won’t be flaky. Drizzle in the 1/4 cup milk. This should make a dough ball form as you continue to mix/pulse. If the ball doesn’t quite form, drizzle in a little bit more milk, but stop when a ball forms. With your hands (but without kneading), press your dough into a large ball at first, then flatten it into a thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to rest at room temperature. Do not over mix or knead your dough or it will be dense and lose its flakiness. Making the Filling This is a good time to preheat your oven to 350F . Cube all the cheeses to about 1/5″ and place into a large mixing bowl. Cut up the deli meats into 3/4″ x 2″ slices and separate the individual pieces as you drop them into the mixing bowl, turning over with a large mixing spoon as you go to ensure they get distributed among the pieces of cheese. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or caciocavallo cheese over the filling and mix. Next, place the drained ricotta into a second mixing bowl and add the 2 eggs. Mix thoroughly with a strong wooden spoon. Add 25 cracks of pepper (or fewer cracks, if desired), and add the nutmeg (do NOT overdo the nutmeg) and mix into the ricotta. Add the ricotta mixture into the meat/cheese filling and mix with the large spoon, turning over and over until the whole mixture is well bound together. Putting Together the Pizzagaina Grease a springform pan with butter and then flour it on all sides and the bottom and set aside. Dust a work surface with flour. Cut off about 1/5 of your dough for the lattice strips and set aside in plastic wrap. Place your dough disk on the flour and move it around to make sure you have enough flour on the work surface to prevent sticking. Cover your dough with a sheet of parchment paper. Using a straight rolling pin, start rolling out your dough to a large round disk nearly reaching the sides of your parchment paper. You can hold your springform pan over to gauge if it’s rolled out large enough. You should keep in mind that the dough will cover the bottom and up to the top of your pan’s sides. The finished thickness should be a bit less than 1/4″. Remove the parchment paper and using your long rolling pin, roll up the dough round onto the pin, letting a 4″ flap hang at the end. Position the flap over one side of your pan and gently roll out the dough to center it over the pan. Let the dough settle to the bottom of the pan, gently pressing the sides all around to fit snugly. The bottom corners should be tucked in and any excess should come up and over the top edges. Using either a pastry cutter, pizza cutter or sharp paring knife, trim away the excess dough along the top ridge of the pan. Most springform pans have a small indent running around the lip of the pan that you can use to guide your cutter. If there are any gaps in the dough, you can use small pieces to press and patch as needed. Next, fill your pan with the cheese/meat filling. Press down gently to level and smooth it. Now it’s time to roll out the remaining dough to make some lattice strips. Once again, cover with the parchment and roll out a bit thinner than the main crust. Make your dough round a bit longer than the diameter of your pan. Using a pastry or pizza cutter, cut 1″ strips and arrange them in a lattice pattern on top of your Pizzagaina. To do it properly, try to alternate the strips over and under each other. This helps the lattice from popping out all over the place when cutting into the pie. Use your fingers or a spoon to press the strips down into the edge of the side crust. Trim any excess with a cutter all around the edges. Beat one egg with a pinch of salt and using a pastry brush, brush the egg onto all the lattice strips. Bake in the center rack (with a foiled wrapped pan on the lower rack to catch any leaks) at 350F for 50 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before serving. You can get 8 or 9 decent sized slices out of this pie. Serve as a robust antipasto or have a slice with a salad on the side for a lunch or light supper. You can also serve a slice with a dollop of marinara on the side. There you have it, our Pizzagaina recipe… enjoy.
Notes
Store this pie in the refrigerator for up to a a week in an air-tight container or simply slice and wrap each portion with plastic wrap and place each slice in large zipped freezer back. Will freeze for up to two months.
Rating: Unrated