Throwback Thursday: It's Been Two Days and I'm Still Washing Dishes

"Throwback Thursday: Taking you back through the past 6 years by highlighting some of my favorite blog posts"

We had 12 people over for a 3 course dinner on Easter. Add in serving plates, pots and utensils and that adds up to a lot of washing! But it was all worth it. Dinner was a huge success.

The leg of lamb, pork shoulder, roasted vegetables, butter sage gnocchi (you get the idea), were all good; but my two favorite dishes of the day were the Pizza Rustica appetizer and the Ricotta pie dessert. Both are old family recipes that have been passed down to me. The Pizza Rustica from my father's family and the Ricotta Pie from my mothers.

Pizza Rustica
(printable recipe)
 For the Crust:
2 cups flour
3 tsp shortening
2/3 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water

Sift dry ingredients together. Blend shortening into sifted flour with fork. Mix egg with cold water. Add to flour and mix until a ball is formed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the Filling:
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
4 oz. prosciutto, chopped
8 oz. pepperoni, diced
8 oz. mozzarella, diced
4 oz. salami, diced
1 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 lb Italian sausage, removed from casing & browned
1 lb ricotta cheese
2 eggs
2 oz. ham, diced

Combine ricotta, salt and Parmesan cheese. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the various meats, cheese and hard boiled eggs. Mix well.

Roll out pastry to line a 10 inch deep pie pan. Roll out leftover for top crust.

Pour mixture into pan and cover pie with top crust. Fold dough under and back to flute thickly. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake in preheated 400 oven for first 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 and bake 45 minutes.




Ricotta Pie
(printable recipe)
12 eggs
1 tsp salt
3 lbs ricotta
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
lemon and orange zest, to taste

Beat eggs well. Mix in sugar, salt, vanilla and ricotta cheese. Blend well.

Add lemon and orange zest. Pour into a prepared pan and sprinkle cinnamon on top

Bake for 50 minutes at 350