Pizzagaina Recipes

PIZZAGAINA {PIZZA CHIENA, PIZZA RUSTICA, PIZZA PIENA}

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Egg flour, extra virgin olive. Knead well by hand or using a mixer. Lastly add salt.
• Let rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
• Cut all the meats and the cheese into cubes. In a bowl beat the eggs with a bit of salt and pepper. Remember cold cuts already contain salt. Add salami and cheese to the egg mix.
• Grease and flour a round baking pan with high edges.
• Divide the dough in 2 pieces (one slightly larger than the other).
• Roll a larger piece approx 1/4 inch thick. Arrange in the pan.
• Now pour the filling and cover with another layer of dough. Make sure to close the edges perfectly, in order to prevent the egg mixture from spilling. With a sharp knife, cut the excess dough from around the brim of the pan. Fold the edges inside.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 350 °F for at least 50-70 minutes. Let cool completely.

PIZZAGAINA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Press 1 pie crust each into the bottom of two 9-inch pie pans.
• Mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and eggs together in a large bowl. Roughly chop the pepperoni, sweet capicola and hot capicola; fold in chopped meats. Spoon half the mixture into each of the 2 prepared pie pans.
• Top each pie with a pie crust, crimping the edges together creating a seal. Brush the top of each pie with egg white.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crust is golden brown, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

PIZZAGAINA OR PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together 3 eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, 1/2 cup Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese and pepper.
• Stir in the cubed and sliced meats. (You can use any mix of 3 cups of cured meats you like!)
• Place one pie crust in a 9" deep dish pie pan. Add filling and use a spatula to smooth. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Locatelli Pecorino Romano. Top with 2nd crust, crimp edges and vent the center of the pie several times. (Note: You can also use the 2nd crust to make a lattice top as we did here if you like!) Beat remaining 1 egg with 1 TB water and brush on top of pie crust.
• Chill Pizzagaina for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degree and bake Pizzagaina for one hour, tenting with foil halfway through if your crust starts to get too dark.
• Let cool slightly before slicing and enjoying.

PIZZAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil, add pasta and salt the water.
• While the water boils combine ricotta, Parmigiano, parsley and pepperoni in a large bowl and reserve.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat with extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the peppers, onions, garlic and mushrooms. Saute 6 to 8 minutes until tender and mushrooms are dark. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and reduce heat to low.
• Add a ladle of starchy cooking water to the ricotta just before you drain the pasta. Drain pasta then toss with ricotta and pepperoni mixture. Pour pasta into a flameproof baking dish and top evenly with peppers, onion and mushroom sauce. Top with a layer of mozzarella, oregano and red pepper flakes. Place under hot broiler and melt cheese until golden and bubbly. Remove and serve with crusty bread.

PIZZA RUSTICA

Steps:

• 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 sausages 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.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts and the juices evaporate, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Squeeze the spinach to drain as much liquid as possible.
• Into a large bowl, add egg yolks and beat lightly. Stir in the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add the sausage, the spinach and prosciutto to the mixture and stir to combine.
• Roll out larger piece of dough 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.
• Blend the flour, the butter, the shortening and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in the eggs. With the machine running, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough forms. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, with 1 piece twice as large as the second piece. Flatten the dough pieces into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.

PIZZAGAINA

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl mix spry and flour. After mixing add eggs and water and continue to mix until mixed thoroughly. Set aside. In a large bowl mix all ingredients until well mixed. * Grease glass or enamel baking dishes with spry. Then sprinkle flour on the bottom of the pan. * Cut a piece of dough and roll out to fit over the dish. Dough must be thin, placed firmly onto dish and cut excess from the top. Use excess to make basket weave pattern on top before baking. * Scoop mixture into dishes ¼ to ½ inch from top to allow rising. * Make basket weave leaving 2 inch spaces in between. * Bake at 350 for 1 ½ hours or until knife comes out clear. Let cool, best served at room temperature.

PIZZA GAIN AKA PIZZAGAINA, PIZZA RUSTICA, ITALIAN EASTER HAM PIE

Steps:

• Cube ham meat. Cut sliced meat by rolling & slicing or cutting with scissors. Cube mozzarella. In very large bowl, add ricotta & basket cheese. Add 15 eggs. Hand stir with whisk. Add 3 heaping tablespoons Grated cheese - then stir in the cubed meat and cheese.
• Brush pan with oil then melted butter. Roll out & lay dough. Add cheese/meat mixture. Add top layer of dough and pinch bottom & top dough seams together tightly.
• Brush top with oil then egg. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Make Easter Cross with large fork to vent. Bless.
• Bake 375º x 10 min then 350º x 60 min then 325º x 30-45 minute.
• Remove from oven. Brush top with melted butter. Cool 2-3 hours Turn upside down overnight on large board. Cover pizza tightly with paper towel, foil, & dish-towel. Refrigerate. Serve noon or later on Easter Saturday.