Ingredients

For the crust:

• 5oog (1 lb) flour (see Notes)
• 250g (1/2 lb) lard (or butter)
• Salt, to taste
• 100 ml (1/2 cup) tepid water, or enough to form a ball

For the filling:

• 350g (12 oz) ricotta
• 5 medium eggs
• 350g (12 oz) mozzarella, cut into small cubes (see Notes)
• 150g (5 oz) prosciutto and/or salami, cut into small cubes (see Notes)
• 100 g (3-1/2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese (or a mixture of Parmesan and pecorino)
• Salt and pepper

Plus:

• 1 egg, plus a few drops of water (optional)

Instructions

1. Making the pasta sfoglia: Place the flour and the lard in a large bowl. Mix them together with your hands, squeezing the lard through your fingers until it is well incorporated into the flour, forming little grains that will look a bit like moist sand.
2. Now begin to add the water, mixing this time with a spatula, until the flour has come together. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough ball with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
3. Making the filling: Put the ricotta and eggs into another large bowl. Mix them well until you have achieved a smooth custard-like mixture. Now add the other cheeses and cured meats, mixing them into the ricotta and egg mixture with a spatula until the mixture is homogeneous. The mixture will have stiffened up quite a bit. If you’re still waiting for the dough to chill, place the filling in the fridge too, covered with plastic wrap to keep it moist. (Both dough and filling can wait for several hours, or even overnight, if you like.)
4. Assembling the pizza rustica: When the dough ball is well chilled, take it from the fridge and unwrap it. Flour your working surface (if possible, it should be marble or granite) and your dough ball, too, to prevent sticking. Take about 2/3 of the dough, flour it well on all sides and form it again into a ball, and flatten the dough ball out a bit with a rolling pin. Now take the rolling pin and roll out the dough into a fairly thin (but not paper thin) disk, turning the dough with each roll to ensure it comes out as evenly round as you can manage. (No need for perfection here…)
5. Now you need to place the dough into a pie plate—but whatever you do, don’t try to move this delicate dough with your hands! Instead, roll up the dough with your rolling pin. Then, using your rolling pin, transfer the dough onto a pie plate and unfurl it on top of the plate, making sure it covers the entire plate by a good measure. Press the dough down into the plate to make a shell. Cut off the excess dough that hangs over the edges of the plate. Place all the stuffing into the shell.
6. Now you have two choices: you can roll out the remaining dough into another disk, to use as a cover for the pie OR, as I like, you can take a little more time and effort to make a lattice top. For the latter, roll the remaining dough out into a long, rectangular shape, then using a pastry wheel, cut the dough into long strips. If you’re hand isn’t too steady (like mine) you can use the rolling pin as a guide:
7. Now lay the strips over the filling in a cross-hatch pattern. Take up all the remaining dough and roll it out into one long strip. Twist that last strip so it resembles a cord and use it to create a trim all around the edge of the pice plate.
8. Finally, if you like, take one more egg, add a few drops of water and beat them together well with a fork. Then brush this egg wash all over the surface of the pie. This will help the surface to brown and develop an attractive sheen.
9. Baking: Place the pizza rustica into a moderately hot over, say about 190C/375F for an hour or so, until the filling is cooked through and the top is nicely brown. If you like a browner crust, you can raise the temperature for the last 15 minutes or so, using the convection setting if you have one.
10. Let the pie cool for 20-30 minutes before eating. The pie can also be eaten at room temperature which, to my taste, makes it even better.

Source: Memorie di Angelina

Pizza rustica (Easter Cheese and Salumi Pie)