Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Aunt Anna's Easter meat pie




There is a perfectly good explanation for eating an Easter pie in June.

And her name is Aunt Anna.

Every year, Anna makes an extra meat pie just for me. It's not that I'm so special (she will be the first to tell you this, I am sure), it's that I'm rarely able to make it to Easter dinner with the family and she feels (strongly, lucky for me) that I should not entirely miss out on the fun.

My dear aunt knows that it could be awhile, months perhaps, before I can retrieve my pie. It comes out of her oven, cools on a rack near the terrace that faces east and therefore to me, gets tightly packed and fast frozen, then sits in her small freezer until her (devoted) nephew comes and gets it.

Doesn't matter how long it takes for me to show up. Or how many other family members might covet this frozen treasure. It's my pie. Because Anna made it for me. End of story.

This is a love I wish for you all.

Anyways, I went and fetched said Easter Meat Pie (aka Pizza Rustica, as well as a bunch of other things) last weekend, and thought you might enjoy a look.


The recipe's below, but this is all meat, cheese and egg.

The red stuff is not -- I repeat, not -- tomato. It is pepperoni, something I don't usually seek out, but here it is most welcome.

Anna said that I could write about her pie and reprint the recipe (her exact words, if memory serves, were "go ahead, whadda I care") as long as I did not include a picture of her. Reluctantly, I agreed.

This recipe will make a few pies, depending on how big you make them.

Aunt Anna's Easter Meat Pie

For the pie crust
2 cups all purpose flour
3 Tbsp Crisco
Pinch of salt
Pepper to taste
Mix together and form a crust

For the filling
1 lb. proscuitto
1 lb. dry salami
2 sticks pepperoni
3 lbs. ricotta
1 lb. mozzarella
1 basket cheese (kind of a cross between ricotta and mozzarella, found in Italian specialty stores around Easter)
18 eggs

Dice the meats and the mozzarella
Beat the eggs, add in the ricotta and mix well
Add all the other ingredients and incorporate
Pour into prepared pie plates and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour

Optional, though highly recommended final step: Let one pie cool thoroughly, wrap tightly, then place in the freezer, leave a Comment for yours truly with your location and convenient time for a pickup. I'll get there just as soon as I can.

11 comments:

La Bella Cooks said...

What a wonderful and thoughtful Aunt you have. The Easter pie looks and sounds like it is worth the wait for you.

Claudia said...

Everyone needs an Aunt Anna (mine was "Auntie Anna." And everyone needs pizza rustica in their life. even in June. I beg to differ - it is something special - especially when a family members cooks it for you.
Oh! I am thinking peas and ricotta are in my ravioli future!

Jeannie said...

I wish I have an Aunt Anna too! That pie looked loving made for you! :)

Anonymous said...

Looks delish!

A "basket" of cheese is definitely a non-standard measurement. Can I use just half a basket if I want to make it low fat?

Mister Meatball said...

Apologies on the basket cheese. Here's a link to explain: http://bit.ly/bFmV8O

S. said...

Thank you for the heads up on my Thai post... my internet has been hit and miss until we get connected on Saturday, so i didn't get to change the post date before it went live.
And, yummy looking pie, btw... :)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

I could eat this any time of the year Mr. Meatball!

I'm glad you commented on my blog so I could find yours! I see many of your favorite places are mine also. Did you know the BOH closed Di Fara pizzeria for awhile? He had mice!
I also did a blog post about Coluccio's -- they are from my husband's hometown in Calabria, Italy.

Anonymous said...

Oh, Mis.ter. Meat. Ball. Your pie is ready....

Alisa said...

You lucky you! Aunt Anna's meat pie looks wonderful! Thanks for sharing her recipe.I'd love to try this soon :)oh, and if you wont mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!

Christine said...

Just found your blog... reminds me of home. I moved here from Connecticut 4+ years ago, and while I love it here, I miss New Haven style pizza terribly!

My mom made this same meat pie at Easter... we called it "apizzagaina." :)

Stacey Snacks said...

I've always loved Easter pie, Pizza Rustic, Pizza Gaina. My friend's moms used to make these lovingly, when we were kids.
Aunt Anna's looks fantastic in June or December!!!!