Happy Easter for those who celebrate today! I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy. I feel like we are getting to the end of this horrible time in the world, and looking forward to heading back to the city in the next few months. There will be more blog posts here as we start to see what is new and exciting in NYC !
Spending the holiday home this year, I decided to make the Easter pizza's my Mom used to make. My Mom passed in 2015 which seems like the other day but is 6 years ago. I baked with her for many years, but never tried to make these solo. I am not great with crust and rolling dough, but she tried to show me as best she could. This meat pie is also known as Pizza Chiena or Pizza Rustica and there are many different fillings. The one my Mom made has genoa salami, ham, Munster and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, the crust recipe is my Dad's Mom's recipe. I made this solo in 2015, the year she passed, and was shocked that I did it very easily. I guess I was learning all that time with her not even knowing it.
My Mom used to make these in cookie sheets or large pyrex dishes because she gave some to her brothers and sisters for the holidays. Her original recipe consisted of 13 eggs, 2 pounds of ham/munster cheese and 1 pound of salami. My Dad used to help her cut all the filling the night before and then she would bake the next day. Thank goodness she reduced the recipe to bake in a pie plate which we did at the end because it was just us eating it. They do freeze well so it's a nice surprise to pull out in the summer when you want a light meal with a salad.
The smell from this is incredible. I must say, not every Italian can cook. I have a few members of my family who just cannot make anything edible so I am thrilled that I did inherit my Mom's talents. I really never had the reason to cook, but when my Mom got sick, I had to take over. To my and Mom's suprise I could cook. When she told me I was a good cook, that was the best compliment to hear from her. I feel bad my Dad never got to witness my cooking and he would have been proud of me making the Easter recipes from his Mother.
The finished product ! The smell in the house is just amazing and makes me think of wonderful memories with my family.
The inside is so tasty, we normally ate this cold but you could heat it a bit in a microwave if you wished. It looks and tastes just like my Mom's version. I can't explain how I do it, it just happens.
This year I decided to make the ricotta pie, same crust, but a sweet version. My Mom made hers with ricotta, maraschino cherries and Parmigiano cheese. I decided to change it up a bit, omit the Parmigiano cheese and add mini chocolate chips with vanilla. Reminds me of a cannoli filling. I actually got the 2nd to last jar of cherries at my local Wegmans.
I have never done a lattice top but always thought they looked pretty. I knew we had the cutter to use as well as Mom used it for ravioli making. I figured it would make it a bit lighter than having a full crust on top, as my Mom would bake.
Looks pretty good before it goes in the oven. I am very excited to try this one as this is the first time making it on my own. I honestly feel my Mom with me when making these recipes. It's a wonderful feeling as I miss her and my Dad so very much.
The finished product looks pretty good. I hope that you are enjoying the holiday with your family and friends this year. It's been a heck of a year and a half, but we are almost through it, and it will make us all stronger for sure.
HAPPY EASTER
BUONA PASQUA
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