Easter Meat Pie aka Pizzagaina (Full Pie)

I love traditions, it brings you back to a place in time. It helps you remember those that have gone before. Easter is one of my favorite holidays, one of those times when you only make those special Italian delicacies once a year. Pizzagaina, Italian meat pie, is a Easter tradition in our family, I can remember making this pie with Mom. I would cut the meat but she was the maven at making the crust, it was always perfect, just like her ;^) <3 miss you soooo much Mom! For the last couple of years my sister Nancy has been making the pie, but this year I decided that I need to venture into the world of "Pizzagaina"...lets get started...(I feel like Ree, the Pioneer Woman)

the "family of flavors" for the dough
I went a little non-traditional with the unsalted butter but the taste and texture was worth it...added a lot of coarsely ground black pepper to the flour

work your shortening and butter into a pea size crumbs

bring your dough together, cut it in two, and flatten it to an oblong shape...cover it and let it rest while cutting your filling ingredients...


which brings us to this goodness...Ree might have the cast of characters, but I have the "family of flavors", and really isn't this what it is all about, family...

used my new Clauss shears to cut all the meat, what an easy task with these babies....
(note thickness that meat has to be cut)

I swear I had a zen like (I'm telling ya I heard angels singing) moment when I opened this package of cheese, it was just perfection...the price not so much! I think I almost had a heart attack at the check out counter at Shop Rite. It was $6.99 a pound people, that little ball of basket, aka farmer's cheese was $11.39! I'm telling you, I WILL be making my own next year...
loved my new Sudoku knife, it cut through the cheese like butter.

everything cut and ready...the smell of this was just amazing, it just screamed Easter time...

ricotta and eggs and more cracked black pepper in my stand mixer, just on slow...
pat, pat,pat, that is me patting myself on the back for a job well done...the dough came out amazing! I swear Mom's hand was guiding me...it was tender and easy to roll, sheer perfection...she would have been so proud!

ready to pan up!
ready for the filling...

upper crust ready...


isn't Google grand, I mean where else can you get a cross template, for free!!

ready for the oven and time to clean up my kitchen, can't show you a picture of that though, don't want to scare you!

the recipe:
for the crust...
6 c. flour
1 cup Crisco
2 eggs
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup of cold water
coarsely ground black pepper

Mix the flour with the black pepper, give a few whirls with a whisk...mix your eggs with the 1 cup of water...make a well in the flour and pour the egg/water mixture in. Bring together and when it is all mixed up turn onto the counter and knead until smooth. Cut into two and flatten into a flat rectangular shape. Cover and let rest while making the filling...

the filling:
1 lb of each:
Genoa Salami
sweet sopressata
Prosciutto
1 block of munster cheese
1 basket cheese
1 cup of Romano cheese
3 lbs of ricotta cheese
13 eggs
coarsely ground black pepper
cut up all your meats and cheese, mix your eggs, grated cheese and ricotta...combine the ricotta mixture with the meat and cheese mixture, fill your crust and put slits in your crust for steam...bake in a 350 oven for 1 1/4 hours or until the crust is golden brown...

Buona Pasqua. everyone...

 

***EDIT *** 8.30.2020  FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY!!! PLEASE DO NOT USE POLLY-O RICOTTA! Things have changed over the years and the Polly-O of years past is NOT the Polly-O of today....Ricotta should have 3 ingredients...period! Check the label...even Shop Rite's has only 3 ingredients! who wants Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Xanthan Gum in there ricotta...NO ONE EVER!!