Pizza Rustica With Sausage Spinach And Cheese Recipes

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, butter, and olive oil for the crust in a large bowl. Blend butter into the flour with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour-butter mixture, pour egg into the well, and mix with a fork until egg is mixed in, about 1 minute. Add cold water and mix briefly with a fork. Switch to mixing with your hands and press mixture into a ball. If it seems dry, sprinkle in some more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough comes together.
• Transfer dough to a work surface and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
• While the dough is resting, combine drained ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano cheese, salt, black pepper, beaten eggs, cooked Italian sausage, smoked ham, salami, and pepperoni for the filling. Mix thoroughly until extremely well combined; don't worry about overmixing. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Rub a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil and dust with flour.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut off 1/3 of the dough and set aside for the top crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the bottom crust, using only as much flour as needed, into a 15-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the prepared pan. Tuck the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, being careful not to stretch it. Remove any excess dough, dampen it with water, and use it to fill in where needed.
• Transfer filling into the pan, press firmly into the edges to ensure there are no air pockets, and smooth out the top.
• Roll remaining dough into a circle that's slightly wider than the pan. Roll dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pan. Position the top crust properly and press to seal it with the side edges.
• Mix egg and water for egg wash together in a small bowl.
• Brush egg wash on top of dough to moisten entire surface. Trim off excess dough if desired. Fold the side dough down from the pan edges onto the top crust and crimp edges with your fingertips until fully sealed. Brush once more with egg wash.
• Place in the center of the preheated oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake until top crust is a beautiful golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the ring and let cool another 15 minutes before slicing into wedges.

Steps:

• Add the olive oil with 3 of the whole eggs to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour, 2 teaspoons salt and the frozen grated butter to a large bowl and stir and pinch with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the egg mixture and blend with a wooden spoon until large crumbles form (they should be slightly larger than a pea). Add 1/4 cup cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition until a dough forms.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface lightly dusted with flour and knead until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a large round disk and divide the dough into 2 pieces, two thirds for the bottom crust and one third for the top crust. Shape the dough pieces back into round disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is firm, about 45 minutes. (The dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours at this point but will need to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling.)
• Add 1 of the egg yolks to a small bowl along with 1 teaspoon water. Whisk to combine, then set the egg wash aside. Add the remaining 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks to a large bowl along with the Parmesan, ricotta and several heavy grinds black pepper. Whisk until well combined and smooth. Add the prosciutto, ham, pepperoni, salami, provolone and mozzarella and stir until combined. Set aside.
• Position a rack on the lowest shelf in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil.
• Roll out the larger piece of dough on a flat work surface lightly dusted with flour to a 16-inch round a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared springform pan, pressing the dough into the inside edges and up the sides of the pan, leaving any overhang. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dough-lined pan and spread it out into an even layer.
• Roll out the remaining piece of dough on a lightly dusted surface into a 13-inch round a little less than 1/8-inch thick. Place this dough over the filling, gently pressing into the filling and the dough at the edges of the pan. Trim the overhang of both doughs flush with the top of the pan. Pinch the edges of the doughs together to seal, then tuck under so they are directly on top of the filling and on the inside of the pan. Brush the reserved egg wash over the top and edges of the dough. Cut four 1-inch slits on the top piece of dough using a paring knife, then place the pan on a baking sheet.
• Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, and a long wooden skewer inserted into one of the slits comes out clean, about 2 hours, rotating the pan once halfway through the cooking time.
• Let stand for 2 hours at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled, at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before removing the outside ring of the springform pan and transferring the pizza to a serving platter. Cut into wedges to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cook and stir sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain.
• Mix Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and eggs together in a bowl. Stir in sausage, prosciutto, and parsley.
• Roll 1 pie crust into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Transfer to a pie plate, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Pierce crust all over with a fork. Spread cheese and sausage mixture over crust. Roll second pie crust into a 12-inch circle; place on top. Seal and flute edges. Cut several slits in the top crust to permit steam to escape.
• Bake in the preheated oven until center is set and crust is browned, about 1 hour.

Steps:

• Place flour and butter in a dish and place in the freezer.
• Stir together the egg yolk, salt, and water and place this in the refrigerator.
• After 10 minutes have passed, process the flour and butter just until it looks like cornmeal or coarse sand. Add the egg mixture to bind, and process until it just starts to come together.
• Dump the dough onto a clean work surface and push together with your hands. Divide dough into 2 parts, one slightly larger than the other, and form these into discs. Wrap in plastic and let rest in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Wipe out the processor bowl a bit and process the onions.
• Pour into a large skillet or dutch oven with the olive oil. Saute over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes.
• Add sausage and use the spatula to mix into the onions. Continue to cook until sausage is slightly browned.
• Remove from heat and add spinach and ricotta cheese.
• Add most of the shredded cheese (save about 1/3 of it) and egg whites. Stir together very well (to incorporate the whites evenly).
• Continue with the pastry. Placing each disc between two sheets of plastic wrap, roll one out to be about the size of your springform pan. Roll the other out to be larger than the pan by about 2 ½ inches. (It will form the bottom and sides of your pie.)
• Take the top sheet off of the larger one and turn it onto the pan. Try to center it. Remove plastic and gently ease/press it into the pan.
• Into this sprinkle the cornmeal or breadcrumbs and then the remaining cheese.
• Spoon the filling into the crust. Do not overfill -- you may have extra filling. Place the top crust over this, and press the edges together with the bottom crust. Poke a few steam holes in the top, and bake about 40 minutes, or until the pie is golden.
• Let rest about 10 minutes before serving. Also great cold or warmed up the next day.

Steps:

• Place a piece of cheesecloth into a strainer, and place the ricotta cheese into the cheesecloth. Set a bowl underneath the strainer to catch drips, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight, to allow moisture to drip from ricotta.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place sausage into a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease, and allow sausage to cool.
• Place the drained ricotta cheese into a large bowl, and stir in 5 beaten eggs and mozzarella cheese until well mixed. Mix in the cooked sausage, Parmesan cheese, parsley, prosciutto, and black pepper until thoroughly combined.
• Divide the pizza dough into fourths, and roll out 2 of the pieces into 12-inch circles. Fit the circles into 2 10-inch pie plates, leaving 1 inch of dough hanging over the edge. Divide the filling between the 2 pies. Roll out 2 top crusts, place onto the pies, and fold the edges of the bottom crusts over the edges of the top crusts to seal. Crimp and flute the edges of the pie crusts.
• Beat 1 egg with water in a small bowl, and brush the egg wash over the tops and edges of both pies. Cut several slits into the top crusts to vent steam.
• Bake pies in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Continue to bake until the crust is browned and the filling is hot, 45 to 50 more minutes. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, salt, and pepper in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together, with a pastry scraper if you have one, and press into a 5-inch disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make tart:
• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit dough into tart pan and trim excess, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Prick dough in pan all over with a fork. Chill pan until dough is firm, about 15 to 30 minutes.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until edges are pale golden, 18 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake until shell is golden all over, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Cool completely in pan, about 20 minutes.
• Make filling and bake tart:
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Stir together ricotta, eggs, Pecorino, provolone, meats, parsley, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread filling evenly in baked shell.
• Bake tart until filling is set and pale golden, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool tart in pan on a rack, about 15 minutes, then carefully remove sides of pans and slide the tart off bottom. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• To prepare the dough, in a medium bowl, lightly toss together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the Crisco, combining all the ingredients with your fingertips until the dough separates into crumbly, pea-size pieces. Add the water and the 3 beaten eggs to the dough, again combining the ingredients with your fingertips. As you're mixing, be aware that this dough has a different texture from most-it's a little bit sticky and has a very elastic quality to it (if the dough is sticky enough that you can't easily get it off your fingers, add a very light dusting of flour). When you are able to form a ball with the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To prepare the filling, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the 3 beaten eggs, pepper, ricotta, and Parmesan. Once these ingredients are fully combined, slowly add the sopressata, prosciutto, capicola, sweet sausage, mozzarella, basket cheese, and parsley. Continue to mix until the ingredients are spread evenly throughout the mixture.
• To prepare the pie shell, sprinkle flour over your rolling pin and work surface, and divide the chilled ball of dough in half. Roll out two circles (using one half of the dough for each circle) that are approximately 12 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Remember, this crust has a lot of elasticity to it, so really press down on the rolling pin, applying a little extra pressure. Fold one dough circle in half, place it in a 10-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate.
• To assemble the pie, spread the filling across the pie shell, distributing it evenly. Top it with the quartered hard-boiled eggs. Take the remaining dough circle and fold in half. Place it over the filling, with the straight line of the half circle running down the middle of the pie. Unfold the circle so that the entire pie is covered. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie together to seal in the filling.
• Break the 2 remaining eggs into a small bowl, and beat them to create an egg wash. Brush the top crust of the pie with the egg wash, taking care to cover it thoroughly. Use a sharp knife to cut at least five 2-inch slits in the top crust for ventilation (ventilation is essential for pizza rustica).
• To bake, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crust has browned and the filling has achieved a firm consistency. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
• Pizza Rustica can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add flour, oil, sugar, Italian seasoning and salt; beat on medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth. Stir in Asiago cheese., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 425°. Punch dough down; divide in half. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to two 12-in. pizza pans coated with cooking spray. Build up edges slightly. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork. Bake 5-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned., Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Place tomatoes in a food processor; cover and pulse until finely chopped., Spread tomatoes over crusts; layer with spinach, sausage and provolone cheese. Bake 8-12 minutes or until crusts and cheese are lightly browned.