Easter Tradition

One of my favorite memories growing up was my Grandmother's Pizza Gain (Pizza Rustica). It was one of the things that my Grandma made that I could not get enough of.

As Michele and I were forming some of our family traditions that we wanted to carry on and create for our own children, Easter quickly became defined by two things. Pizza Gain and another traditional Italian dish called Easter Sweet Bread.

One of the wonderful things about theses dishes (besides our children helping us make them) is that these dishes are typically made on Saturday and then served on Sunday. The Bread is served as is and the Pizza Gain is served chilled or at room temp. I encourage all to try these recipes, they have become the Easter Staples in our house, they are delicious not to mention a part of my history.

Both of these recipes are from Michele Scicolone with minor changes by the Pennucci's.

EASTER SWEET BREAD (Michele (Pennucci) always makes this dish)
Makes 2 round loaves

Ingredients
1 stick butter
1/2 Cup milk
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1/2 Cup warm water (100-110 Degrees F)
3 large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
about 5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
6 raw eggs colored for Easter (optional, but a lot of fun)
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Multicolored round candy sprinkles

Preparation
Heat butter with milk in a small saucepan just until melted. Let cool.

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Let stand until yeast is creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir until dissolves.

In a large mixer bowl,. beat the 3 eggs until foamy. beat in sugar until blended. Add the butter mixture, yeast, vanilla, and orange zest. Add 4 1/2 cups of flour and the salt, mixing until a soft dough forms. Gradually add just enough of the remaining flour to make a smooth. slightly sticky dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for a minute or so, until it is very smooth. Shape the dough into a ball.

Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray and place dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Spray two large baking sheets with non-stick spray. Punch down the dough and cut into 4 pieces. Roll out one piece between your hands into a rope about 22 inches long. Repeat with another piece of dough. Lay the ropes side by side and loosely twist them together . Lift the braid onto one of the prepared baking sheets and bring the ends together to form a ring. Pinch the ends to seal. Place 3 of the whole raw eggs at intervals around the wreath, tucking them in between the ropes of the dough. Repeat with remaining dough and eggs. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 45 minutes until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the dough with the egg yolk mixture. Scatter the candy sprinkles on top. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown, reversing the position of the pans halfway through the baking time. Transfer bread to racks to cool completely.

Cut into slices to serve . (Nobody ever eats the eggs, but store the bread in the fridge just in case.)

Pizza Rustica (I always make this dish in honor of Grace Pennucci Rowland)
Ingredients
DOUGH
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco for a little extra flavor)
1 stick butter, cut into pieces
2 large eggs, beaten

FILLING
2 pounds ricotta
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
8 ounces chopped mozzarella
4 ounces sliced ham, chopped
4 ounces hard salami, chopped
4 ounces pepperoni, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (2 tsp if using dried)
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Preparation
Combine the flour and salt in a large mixer bowl or food processor. Add the shortening and butter and stir or pulse until the mixture resembles large crumbs. Add the eggs and stir or pulse briefly until the ingredients come together and form a soft dough. If the dough seams too dry and crumbly, add a little ice water. Don't over mix, or the dough will be tough.

Shape one-third of the dough into a disk. Make a second disk with remaining dough. Wrap each piece in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, beat ricotta, eggs, grated cheese, and pepper until well blended. Stir in the chopped cheese, meats, and parsley. (other meats or cheese may be substituted as you so desire.)

Preheat oven to 350

On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out the large piece of dough to a 15 inch circle. Drape the dough over the rolling pin. Transfer dough into a 9 x 3 inch springform pan, Flattening out any wrinkles against the inside of the pan. Scrape the filling into the pan.

Roll out remaining dough into a 9 1/2 inch circle. Cut the dough into 1/4 inch wide strips. Place half the strips 1 inch apart over the filling. Turn the pan clockwise and place the remaining strips on top, forming a lattice pattern. Pinch the edges of the strips and bottom layer of the of dough together to seal. Brush with the beaten egg.

Bake the pie 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the crust is golden and the filling is puffed and set in the center. Cool the pie in an the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Remove the sides of the pan and let the pie cool completely.

Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled. Store in the refrigerator, covered, up to 3 days.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.

Happy Easter and Buon Appetito.

John Pennucci