Italian Easter Pie

This Italian Easter Pies is a family favorite ever since I was a little kid. The sopressata is usually ready just before Easter. Just in time to slice and put in the pie. Enjoy!

Ingredients

For 3 Batch(es)

For the Pie:

3 pounds fresh or frozen pizza dough
4 pounds Ricotta whole milk cheese
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
5 ounces shredded parmigiano or romano cheese
3 fresh eggs
12 sliced hard boiled eggs
3/4 pound cooked ham
3/4 pound sweet capocollo
2 thinly sliced sopressata
salt and pepper

Directions

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.

Recipe Notes

After pies have cooled, remove and turn upside down on board so bottoms won’t get soggy…. that is it, good luck. Traditionally practice is forbidden, however – seeing that I will be eating these pies I received an exemption from the Italian Embassy this morning. 　