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In the Oven: Mega Easter Pie

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We’re making Nato’s gigantic meat and cheese pie next – posting date is March 27!

Mega Easter Pie
Author: Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito
Serves: 1 mega easter pie • 10 to 12 generous servings
Ingredients
  • For the Classic Pie Dough
  • 3 cups (385 g) all-purpose flour, chilled
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Ice cubes
  • 8 ounces (2 sticks/225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch (12-mm) cubes
  • For the Easter Pie
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1⁄2 onion, diced
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 3 ounces (85 g) roasted red peppers, drained and diced (about 3⁄4 cup)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 pound (455 g) basket cheese, or 1 pound (455 g) fresh ricotta, drained well
  • 3⁄4 pound (340 g) smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1⁄2 pound (225 g) cooked ham, cubed (we prefer Black Forest)
  • 1⁄2 pound (225 g) prosciutto, diced or rolled and sliced into 1⁄2-inch (12-mm) slices
  • 1⁄4 cup (30 g) grated Romano cheese
  • 1⁄4 cup (30 g) grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1⁄4 cup (30 g) cubed soft provolone cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Make the Classic Pie Dough
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together. In a measuring cup, stir 3⁄4 cup (180 ml) water with several ice cubes until it is very cold, then discard the ice.
  2. Toss the cold butter in the flour mixture to coat. Place the mixture in a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the butter pieces are the size of hazelnuts.
  3. Pulsing in 4-second bursts, slowly drizzle the ice-cold water into the food processor through the feed tube. As soon as the dough comes together in a ball, stop adding water.
  4. Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in half. Flatten each piece into a disk, and wrap each disk first in parchment paper and then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 1 hour. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before proceeding.
Make the Easter Pie
  1. In a medium skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil and crushed red pepper over medium-low heat until the oil begins to shimmer, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and thyme. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the filling.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and position a rack in the center of the oven.
  3. Using nonstick cooking spray, coat the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan.
  4. Line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk 2 of the eggs. Add the basket cheese, mozzarella cheese, ham, prosciutto, Romano cheese, Parmesan cheese, provolone cheese, parsley, lemon zest, and pepper and stir together. Add the cooled onion-and-pepper mixture. Use your hands to toss everything together until thoroughly mixed.
  6. Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of our and roll out the first disk of chilled dough into a 14-inch (35.5-cm) round, about 1⁄4 inch (6 mm) thick. Transfer it to the prepared pan and carefully work it into the bottom and build it up the sides. There shouldn’t be a lot of overhang, but if there is, trim it back to 1 inch (2.5 cm) at most. Add the meat-and-cheese mixture.
  7. Adding more flour to the work surface as needed, roll out the second disk of chilled dough into a 12-inch (30.5-cm) round. Center it on top of the filling with about a 1-inch (2.5-cm) overhang over the sides of the pan. Working carefully, crimp the bottom and top doughs together. Try not to let the dough extend out over the lip of the pan, as this will make it difficult to remove from the pan without breaking.
  8. Make an egg wash by whisking together the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the top crust with the egg wash. Cut 3 steam vents into the top crust.
  9. Place the pie on a half sheet pan and bake, rotating halfway through the baking time, until the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour.
  10. Cool the pie in its pan on a rack for about 2 hours. Unmold the pie from the springform pan, remove the metal bottom, and transfer the pie to a serving plate. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
[i]How to store:[/i] The pie can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. We recommend reheating it until warm to serve, but you can slice and eat directly from the fridge.

 

Comments

  1. Thoughts on our next project? I’m not particularly looking forward to making an enormous meat and cheese pie. I might scale the recipe down and am thinking of using Spanish cheeses and Spanish chorizo/jamon in place of the meat. And maybe some smoked paprika added in.