Barras Traditional Italian Easter Pie Food

ITALIAN EASTER PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: Combine flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined, 3 to 4 times. Add butter and egg; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 times. Sprinkle ice water over dough; pulse until dough begins to form a ball. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half, and shape into 2 (4-inch) disks. Wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle position. Unwrap 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll to a 16-inch circle, and carefully fit into a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Prepare the filling: Cook Italian sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, breaking up sausage with a spoon until crumbled and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. Whisk ricotta, mozzarella, pepper, and 3 of the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in salami, capicola, and ham.
• Shingle prosciutto slices in bottom of prepared dough-lined pan. Spread ricotta mixture over prosciutto. Scatter browned sausage over ricotta mixture, pressing lightly into an even layer. Shingle red bell peppers over sausage; top with spinach and Parmesan.
• Roll remaining dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Carefully place over filling. Trim overhang so that it's even with bottom crust; pinch top and bottom crusts firmly together. Fold dough under and crimp edges.
• Lightly beat remaining egg and brush liberally over top of pie. Using a paring knife, cut 4 (1-inch) vents in top of dough in a circular pattern. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until a thermometer inserted in center of pie registers 150°F, about 30 more minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool at least 3 hours before serving. Carefully remove sides of pan, and cut pie into slices to serve. Or cool completely, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

ITALIAN EASTER PIE

Steps:

• For the dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and water; set aside. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse a couple of times. Add the chilled butter and pulse about 10 times until pea-size pieces remain. Add the egg mixture and pulse 15 to 20 times until a dough ball forms. Place the dough ball on a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 1 minute. Divide into 2 balls, wrap each ball with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• For the filling: While the dough is resting, whisk together the ricotta cheese, salt, some pepper and 6 of the eggs in a medium bowl and set aside. In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, add the oil and brown the sausage, breaking up the pieces while it's cooking, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain the sausage on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving behind any fat. Add the asparagus and cook until beginning to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter.
• On a well-floured counter, roll out each dough ball into a thin 14-inch circle. Cover one circle with plastic wrap until ready to use. Loosely roll the other dough circle around a rolling pin and unroll over the prepared cake pan, letting the excess hang over the side. Press the dough gently into the sides of the pan so there is no gap between the pan and the dough. Shingle the salami over the bottom of the dough, creating an even layer. Then, add the asparagus in an even layer on top of the salami. Next, add half of the egg mixture and spread it out evenly, then top with the capicola in an even layer. Layer in the sausage and top with the remaining egg mixture, then finally the provolone cheese.
• Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush the outside rim of the dough with the egg wash. Add the remaining dough circle to the top of the pie and cut off the excess dough. Press both circles together to create a seal. Brush the remaining egg wash over the entire top and slice a couple slits in the top of the pie. Bake until golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

ITALIAN EASTER PIE

Steps:

• Italian Easter Pie Recipe as written by Mary Pascuzzi, 1994 This recipe is for 3 pies. Use 3 lbs. fresh or frozen bread or pizza dough for crusts Cover dough with smooth towel when rising When rising, rub oil on the dough so it will not crack when stretching. After rising, divide and roll into 6 pieces, 3 tops and 3 bottoms Create Ricotta cheese filling: Mix 4lbs. Ricotta whole milk cheese with 2 eggs, 1lb. shredded Mozzarella, 5 oz. shredded parmigiano or romano cheese, add salt and pepper Meat Ingredients: 3/4 lb. cooked ham, 3/4 lb. sweet capocollo, 2 thinly sliced sopressata,1 dozen hard boiled eggs, sliced Making pies: Grease and flour pie plates and add bottom layer of dough Cover bottom dough with one layer of ham ( be sure to cover bottom as the ham layer keeps the moisture away from the bottom crust.) Spread a layer of ricotta cheese mix Cover cheese mix with a layer of boiled eggs Add one layer of sopressata over the eggs Cover sopressata with another layer of ricotta cheese mix Add another layer of the sliced boiled eggs Add one layer of sopressata over the eggs Finish the filling with one layer of capocollo Cover with the top pie crust, puncture top to remove steam Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, with 10 minutes to go, brush top of pie with beaten egg.

SPECIAL ITALIAN EASTER PIZZA

Steps:

• Cook and stir Italian sausage in a skillet over medium heat, breaking the sausage into crumbles as it cooks, until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain excess grease; set sausage aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Oil the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with olive oil.
• Cut 1/3 of the dough off the loaf and set aside under a cloth. Form the remaining 2/3 dough into a ball and roll into a 14-inch circle on a floured work surface.
• Line the springform pan with rolled dough, allowing dough to hang over the edge by 2 inches all around.
• Layer half the cooked Italian sausage, half the mozzarella cheese, half the ham, half the provolone cheese, half the salami, and half the pepperoni into the pie crust.
• Spoon and spread half the ricotta cheese over the layers of meat and cheeses.
• Sprinkle half the Parmesan cheese over the ricotta.
• Pour half the 8 beaten eggs over the layers; continue layering the remaining meats, sliced cheeses, ricotta cheese, and then Parmesan cheese.
• Pour remaining beaten eggs over the last layer of Parmesan cheese.
• Roll out remaining piece of bread dough to a circle about 12 inches in diameter; lay the piece over the pie to form the top crust. Roll and pinch the bottom crust overhang over the top crust to seal in the filling.
• Beat 1 egg with water in a small bowl; brush the top of the pie with egg wash.
• Bake pie in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set, 50 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle of the crust should come out without raw egg.
• Allow pie to cool in the pan for at least 25 minutes before releasing the spring and removing pie from the pan. Transfer to a serving platter and cut into wedges for serving.

EASTER PIE

Steps:

• Blend 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the rice and pine nuts. Set the ricotta mixture aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie dish. Lay 1 phyllo sheet over the bottom and up the sides of the dish, allowing the phyllo to hang over the sides. Brush the phyllo with the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough, laying it in the opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue layering the remaining sheets of phyllo sheets, alternating after each layer and buttering each sheet. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely. Brush completely with melted butter.
• Bake the pie until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over the pie and serve.

MARIA'S EASTER (WHEAT) PIE/"PASTIERA DI GRANO"

Steps:

• ***PreparingThe Wheat: If"soaked" or"precooked" wheat is not available, dry wheat may be used.
• Cover the dry wheat with cold water (water should be about 2 inches over the wheat) and boil it for 15 minutes or until the wheat berries crack open.
• Remove pan from heat and allow wheat to soak for a full 24 hours.
• After soaking, drain well before using in steps#17-19.
• If"soaked"/"precooked" wheat is used, add the wheat to a pan of boiling water and cook it for about 5-10 minutes (most of the wheat berries should be open and they should be chewy but tender).
• Drain well, let cool and use for steps#17-19.
• Crust: Mix flour, sugar and lemon peel together in a bowl.
• Work butter into flour using your fingers (until it is the size of peas).
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.
• Knead the dough lightly until it holds together well and clears the bowl.
• Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill it for about 1/2- 1 hour before using.
• Cream: Fill the bottom of a double boiler with enough water so that its insert doesn't quite touch the water; bring the water to a boil.
• Mix the whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon peel and citron together in the insert of the double boiler which has been set in to the bottom pan.
• Cook the"cream," stirring constantly until it has thickened and is the consistency of a thick pudding (about 20-30 minutes).
• Remove the insert from the boiling water and set aside to allow the"cream" to cool, stir occasionally to keep a skin from forming.
• Note: I sometimes put the insert pan with the"cream" mixture into a bowl of very cold water, to help it cool down faster, don't forget to stir it.
• Wheat: Add the (cooked, soaked, well drained) wheat to a saucepan with the milk and butter.
• Cook the wheat mixture, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, and mixture starts to boil; boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Prepare Pans: On a lightly floured board, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the bottom and sides of two lightly buttered 9-inch glass cake pans.
• Leave a 1/2 inch overhang of dough if you are going to use the lattice top.
• If not using the lattice, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch.
• Re-roll scraps and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips to use as a lattice top for the pie.
• (If you prefer, the lattice can be omitted.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Ricotta Filling: Mix ricotta, eggs, sugar and lemon peel together in a large bowl.
• Beat mixture by hand, with a wooden spoon, until smooth and creamy.
• Add the"cream" mixture and the wheat mixture to the ricotta filling, stirring until all is well blended.
• Pour or ladle the filling into prepared pans (to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pan).
• For The Lattice: place the strips of dough across the filling, spaced about 1 inch apart (at right angles) forming a lattice top.
• Fold the 1/2 inch overhang over the edges of the lattice and flute well.
• If not making the lattice top, fold the 1/4 inch overhang on to itself, and lightly flute.
• Bake pies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bottom of the crust is light brown, the center is set, and the top of the pies are golden.
• Turn off oven and let the pies cool for an hour in the oven with the oven door slightly (about 2 inches) ajar.
• Remove pies from oven and place on a wire rack.
• When completely cooled, cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until serving.
• If you like, you can give the pie tops a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.
• Note: Its best to served this pie directly from the pan, as trying to plate the whole pie is more trouble than its worth, and causes breakage.

EASTER MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place ricotta in a large mixing bowl and add eggs one at a time while mixing on low speed. Stir in mozzarella, ham, salami, and prosciutto until all ingredients are well combined. Line two 9 inch pans with pastry. Spoon half of mixture into each pan. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over each pie, then cover with top pastry. Crimp edges and cut steam vents in tops.
• Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, until crust is golden brown. Cool on racks.

BARRA'S TRADITIONAL ITALIAN EASTER PIE

Steps:

• CRUST PREPARATION: Mix flour and salt together, cut in shortening with 2 knives or pastry cutter.
• Add beaten eggs to flour mixture slowly, incorporating very well.
• Add milk (additional liquid if necessary) to hold mixture together as it is kneaded.
• Shape pastry into two balls.
• Chill for 30 minutes or until ready to begin making the pie.
• PREPARATION FOR FILLING: Remove the sausage meat from the casings; set aside in small bowl.
• In another small bowl, place all the mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes; set aside.
• In another small bowl, place all the provolone, cut into 1/4-inch cubes; set aside.
• Do the same for the ham and salami and proscuitta; set aside keeping all the ingredients separate.
• Boil dozen eggs; cool, peel, cut into quarters and set aside.
• Make EGG WASH:In a blender, add 10 eggs, parsley, 1/2 cup grating cheese.
• Blend; set aside.
• This will be used between layers of ingredients as the"holding agent" to keep all the ingredients together.
• TO ASSEMBLE PIE: Roll chilled pastry on floured board to 1/8-inch thickness.
• Make into 2 large circles to fit into a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate and to cover.
• Better to do this in glass; it cooks more evenly and you can see if your bottom has fully cooked.
• Fit the pastry into the pan and up the sides.
• Begin by layering the quartered hard boiled eggs as the first layer on bottom, about 1-inch apart from eachother.
• In between each quartered slice of egg, with your fingers, place a small piece of sausage meat; going around the whole first layer of the pie.
• Sprinkle a layer of grated cheese all around.
• Next, a thin layer of mozzarella; (one piece high), Next a thin layer of proscuitta; Next a thin layer of provolone cheese; Next a thin layer of salami; Next a thin layer of boiled ham.
• Pour 1/2 cup of your egg wash over the first layer.
• Begin again with your quartered eggs; alternating the quarters"in between" the quarters of the first layer.
• Layer each ingredient as you did on the first layer and so on.
• Proceed with your second layer; again egg wash poured over the layer, etc.
• Depending on the depth of the pie pan, the size of your cut ingredients, you may have two or three layers, but don't fill it beyond the rim of the dish.
• Cover the last layer with another piece of pastry dough and crimp together firmly"gluing" if necessary to keep things together as the pie expands.
• Cut a steam hole on top and brush pastry with a tablespoon of milk (just to enhance the beauty of this meal for presentation) to form a glaze.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake for one hour or until the pie crust is golden on the top and ingredients are bubbly.
• The aroma will tell you the pie is done!
• If you filled the pie too much with egg wash or ingredients, it may boil over.
• It is a good idea to place a sheet of aluminum foil beneath the pie in the oven to catch any drips.
• Serve the pie warm.
• Keep Refrigerated; leftovers can be reheated nicely in a toaster oven or a microwave for 1 minute.