Almost Italian

The idea of self-purification through deprivation, followed by celebratory consumption, is ancient. Predating Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, varied, yet similar, practices evolved under their influence: all “people of the Book” have traditionally observed a period of fasting followed by feasting.

Copyright © 2010, Skip Lombardi

Nowhere are the traditions associated with food more richly varied than in Italy. At the center of the Mediterranean, the peninsula was home to its own pagan rites and those of early Greek colonizers. Roman domination throughout Mare Nostrum meant that ideas, techniques, and ingredients—from the shores around the Empire and beyond—all came back to Rome. Italy in the medieval period saw much Muslim influence—the introduction of sugar cane, rice, citrus, and Asian spices; the widespread use of water-wheels for irrigation; the refinements of alcoholic distillation; and the rediscovery and translation of Greek botanical treatises. Nonetheless, the culture of Catholicism, especially the culinary expressions associated with the Church calendar, remained dominant throughout mainland Italy and coexisted with Islam in Sicily. Later Italian influence extended far beyond the peninsula, for the Age of Discovery sent Genoese merchants and fisherman to the heathen New World. Those mariners brought back the codfish that became the iconic food of Lent throughout Europe.

Today, no matter what their creed, Italians tend to be far more secular than they were before the grand social upheavals and political unification in the mid-19th century. Moreover, Italy, since the end of World War II, has been enriched by non-Catholic immigrants from Eastern Europe, the Mideast, and Africa.

Secularism has grown, too, among Italian immigrants. With three and four generations grown since families left Italy, most Italian-Americans, baby-boomers and their offspring, don’t know a novena from cucina nuova. As fewer parents enroll their children in catechism classes, giving up meat, butter, or Pepsi for 40 days, and indeed any understanding of the introspective forces Lent is supposed to encourage, can seem quaintly anachronistic.

Copyright © 2010, Skip Lombardi

So why are the English and Italian search-engines white-hot this week with queries for Easter Pie, Torta Pasqualina, Pizza di Pasqua, Torta Ripiena, Pizza Chiena, Pizza “Gain”, virtually the same dish despite a score of spellings?

Easter, whether it signals spiritual rebirth or simply the end of winter (and time to start those tomato seedlings on the window sill), has its roots in the early agricultural and pastoral practices of Europe and the Near East. After surviving a winter, both humans and their livestock could look forward to a greatly expanded choice of food. Spring meant wild herbs, fresh pasturage, laying hens, new lambs, kids, and calves; lactating sheep, goats, and cows. A sudden abundance of eggs and milk before the age of refrigeration meant that consumption was mandated lest the food go to waste. Preparations like pizza rustica stand in recognition of the calendar, of its gifts and privations.

How many of the desperately poor Italians of the 19^th century would have had the opportunity to taste this dish is hard to say. What we can say is that the pie, whether or not the immigrants had had the good fortune to partake of it, made an impression on them. And that is why we are including it. Although our pie really is Italian, one you might find in a Calabrian, Campanian, or Sicilian home this weekend, it is so much a part of American-Italian culinary legend and so perfectly exemplifies the idea of abbondanza American-style, that it deserves a place on AlmostItalian.com.

The tradition is: In the final days of Lent, the home is cleaned and the preparation for Easter begins. In a multi-generational Italian-American household, Nonna devotes her full attention to the important Easter feast. In our experience, Nonna makes pizza rustica after Good Friday, probably on Saturday afternoon—to allow the filling to become firm and the flavors to meld.

On Easter morning, Italian-American Catholics attend a celebratory Mass. (Catholics abstain from any food prior to taking Communion, but this Sunday also marks the end of the 40 days of Lent.) After Mass, families return home to break their fast with pizza rustica. While Florentines and Romans make Pizza Ripiena or Pizza Piena, full pie, in Napoletano dialect, it’s Pizza Chiena, or even the Anglicized Pizza Gain. So, whether your family calls it Torta Pasqualina, Easter Pie, Tortone di Pasqua, it’s a delicious beginning to a day of feasting.

Copyright © 2010, Skip Lombardi

Anyone who has eaten a typically dense pizza rustica would agree that it would be extremely rich, even without the added meats. Using salume, always luxury foods, allowed a cook to stretch a little meat to delight many. Historically, some Mediterranean Christians, have foresworn all meat during the 40 days of Lent. For the most abstemious, it would take only a little flavorful soppressata or prosciutto to impart the taste of celebration.

The cycle of “putting food by” obliged. After the slaughter of fall-fattened livestock, cured meats would be prepared in late October or early November and would reach maturity at the end of winter, just in time to be combined with fresh cheeses and eggs.

The world of pizza rustica artisans seems divided regarding the type of dough used to encase the filling. Some pie-makers prefer a short pastry crust while others favor bread dough. The division does not seem to run along any particular geographical fault-lines. In the week leading up to Easter, pastry shop windows on Hanover Street in Boston’s North End are piled high with pizza gain—made with flaky pastry crust. Yesterday, we saw a similar Easter pie on offer at a Sarasota, Florida bakery whose owners hail from Providence, Rhode Island. My Sicilian family in Connecticut used bread dough. A sturdy, yeast-risen bread dough will support a heavier filling. So if you want to display or transport your pie, that’s a safer choice than a flaky pastry crust.

These pies can travel. And if you make a pizza rustica to take to your host, you’re sure to be invited back.

As the Italians say: Natale con i tuoi, la Pasqua con chi vuoi. Spend Christmas with your family, but at Easter, you’re free to choose your own company.

—Buona Pasqua

Pizza Rustica

Ingredients:

For the filling:

3 Large eggs
2 Lb. Whole-milk ricotta (Do not substitute low-fat!)
8 Oz. Whole-milk mozzarella, cut into 3/8-inch dice
1 Cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino or a combination of the two***

3 Oz. Soppressata, cut into 3/8-inch dice
3 Oz. Prosciutto, cut into 3/8-inch dice
3 Oz. Pepperoni salami, peeled and cut into 3/8-inch dice ***

1 Cup Flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 tsp. Freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
4 Hard cooked eggs, shelled and left whole

Plus: 1 small egg lightly beaten, as a wash.

For the Dough:

Approximately 2 Lb. Pizza dough*

* If possible, make your own with unbleached flour. We kneaded in a tablespoon of fresh rosemary and a teaspoon of fennel seeds.

Preparation:

For the filling:

Into a large bowl, break the three raw eggs and beat thoroughly with the back of a fork or a wire whisk. Add the ricotta and stir to incorporate thoroughly with the eggs. Add the mozzarella and Parmigiano. Stir to incorporate.

Grind the pepper and nutmeg. Add the spices, cubed meats, and parsley to the bowl. Stir again to incorporate. Refrigerate the filling until you’re ready to assemble the pie.

For the Pie:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place approximately 2/3 of the dough on a well-floured surface. Stretch and roll it into a circle approximately 18 inches in diameter, and approximately 1/4 inches thick. Gently center the dough over a 10-inch spring-form pan and ease it into the pan, pressing the dough gently against the sides. Leave the excess dough hanging over the outside rim; you’ll trim it later.

Spoon enough of the filling to cover the bottom of the pan by approximately 1 inch.

Lay the hard-cooked eggs on their sides at four points of the circle (12, 3, 6, and 9 on the face of a clock). Gently spoon the remaining filling over the eggs.

Roll out the remaining dough into a circle approximately 12 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Place atop the pan, and, removing excess dough as you go, roll or crimp the dough together all around.

Cut four 1-inch steam vents in the top of the pie. Next, with a pastry brush, lightly coat the entire top surface with the beaten egg. (You won’t use all the egg-wash, so you can save that for your other holiday baking.)

Place the pan on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven. Bake for 50 — 60 minutes. After 30 minutes, if the top is browning too much, cover top loosely with foil, shiny side up, to keep it from burning.

Gently insert a wooden skewer or knife blade into one of the vents. (Be careful not to pierce the bottom crust.) If the blade or tester comes out clean, remove the pie from the oven. Otherwise, cook, shielded by the foil, for an additional 10 – 20 minutes.

Release the sides of the spring-form pan and lift off the ring. Allow the pie to cool completely before serving. Try to slice it so that each wedge has a piece of egg white and yolk visible. Serve at room temperature.

Pizza Rustica will keep for 2 days at room temperature. (Cover with a cake pan lid or loose foil).

Serves 12.

You can view additional photos of our preparation of Pizza Rustica on this Picasa Web Album

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