TwD Pizza Rustica - Baking with Julia

Yum! This pie had perfect texture!

This weeks recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie is Pizza Rustica.  Most Americans think of pizza as round slabs of yeast dough, slathered in tomato sauce, covered in mozzarella cheese with various toppings. The word pizza, in Italian, means pie. It refers to many types of “pizza” or pie. Pizza Rustica is a traditional pie served on Easter Saturday, to break the lenten fast. Some make it with several kinds of meat such as mortadella, soppressata, and prosciutto. Raised in a family with a lot of Italian influence, I have had Pizza Rustica many times. It is very rich and heavy.  Although, never a fan of Pizza Rustica, Nicks’ version looked delicious. Savory, but not too heavy. For years, I have been making the sweet version of Ricotta Pie for dessert on Easter Sunday, using the Pasta Frolla as my crust. This is one of my best loved desserts! 

Nick Malgeiri is one of my favorite bakers and cookbook authors. Staying true to his version, was the way I chose to go, for the most part. His Pasta Frolla was easy to put together in my food processor and rolled out easily. I then made the filling with a few very miner changes. I added a bit less prosciutto and, included chopped sun-dried tomatoes. That’s it! This pie was not labor intensive. Both the dough and filling can be made ahead. I am saving this Pizza Rustica to serve to my family on Saturday. I read that you could freeze it by cooling it to room temperature, and then wrapping it well. It can stay frozen for up to a month. Let the pie defrost at room temperature and then, reheat uncovered, in a moderate (350 degree F) oven until completely warmed through. Happy Tuesday, everyone!!


For the recipe, see Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. You will also find it on Emily’s blog, Capitol Region Dining, and Raelynn’s blog, The Place They Call Home, as they are co-hosting this weeks pick.   There’s also a video of Nick and Julia making the pizza rustica together, which is fun to watch. And please check out the other bloggers who are baking along at TWD.  

Chunks of butter added to the flour mixture for the Pasta Frolla

The dough coming together

Mixing the cheeses with the sun dried tomatoes and prosciutto

Roll out the dough

Ready for the oven

The lovely Pizza Rustica

Light and delicious!