Italian Cheese Rustic Pie Recipes

ITALIAN CHEESE RUSTICA PIE

Steps:

• 1. Make Pie Crust as directed on box for two crust pie, using 9" pie plate. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375.
• 2. In a large bowl, slightly beat 3 eggs. Stir in ham, ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano, and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edges and flute. Cut slits in crust in several places. Brush beaten egg over top. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.
• 3. Place pan on lowest oven rack. Bake 50-60 min or until golden brown. Cover edge of crust with strips of foil after 15-20 min of baking to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 10 min before serving.

ITALIAN SAVORY RUSTIC PIE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350° (180° celsius). Lightly grease a 7 or 8 inch (18 - 20 centimeter) pie/cake pan.
• ** If you want to make your own dough you can use this recipe, the pinch of sugar may be eliminated. Easy Homemade Pie Dough or Savory Pie Dough

TORTA RUSTICA

Steps:

• Mix flour, cornmeal, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat 2 eggs with 3 tablespoons cold water; stir into flour mixture until dough holds together. Add another tablespoon water if needed. Shape 2/3 of the dough into flattened round; repeat with remaining 1/3. Wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll.
• In another bowl, combine ricotta cheese, crumbled feta, Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, parsley, basil, and oregano until well blended.
• Have an 8 or 9 inch springform pan ready. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion of dough into a 15 inch diameter circle. Carefully place in ungreased pan; press lightly against bottom and sides. Trim overhanging dough to 1 inch from pan rim.
• Scatter half of the mozzarella over the bottom of the crust. Next arrange half the ham slices in an even layer. Spread with ricotta cheese mixture, then sprinkle with spinach. Cover with the remaining ham slices. Press down gently to pack layers. Add red peppers in a single layer, and top with the remaining mozzarella. Press down again.
• Roll out remaining dough to 8 or 9 inch circle. Place over filling to cover. Moisten edges, and seal crusts together. Crimp or flute edges. Crust should not extend above pan rim. Beat remaining egg, and brush over the crust. Cut several small vents in top crust for steam to escape.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until crust is deep golden brown and pulls away from sides. Cool in pan on wire rack 45 minutes. Remove pan sides; cool completely. Cut into 12 wedges. Serve at room temperature.

RICOTTA PIE (OLD ITALIAN RECIPE)

Steps:

• Beat the 12 eggs, 2 cups sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta cheese and the chocolate chips, if using (see Cook's Note). Set aside.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar together. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in 4 beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Divide dough into 4 balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two deep-dish pie plates.
• Roll out 2 of the balls to fit into the pie pans. Do not make the crust too thick, as it will expand during cooking. Do not flute the edges of the dough. Roll out the other 2 balls of dough and cut each into 8 narrow strips for the top of the crust. (Alternately, you can use cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top of the pies.)
• Pour the ricotta filling evenly into the pie crusts. Top each pie with 8 narrow strips of dough or cookie cut-outs. Brush top of pie with milk for shine, if desired. Place foil on the edge of crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes; remove foil. Rotate pies on the rack so they will bake evenly. Continue to bake until a knife inserted in the center of each pie comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate until serving.

ITALIAN CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• In a very large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except crusts.
• Mix well, making sure that all ingredients are distributed through the ricotta mixture evenly.
• Spoon the ingredients equally into the pie crusts.
• For a more decorative look, apply strips of pie crust to the top of the pie in a basketweave pattern.
• Bake at 350 degrees until the top of the pie is a dark golden brown and the center is set, approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes.
• Allow pies to cool for about 45 minutes before slicing.
• Serve warm or cold.

ITALIAN SAVORY PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center. Prepare crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal. With processor running, add eggs and process until dough comes together and forms a ball, about 1 minute. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Prepare filling: In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, mozzarella, prosciutto, parsley, and pepper; set aside.
• Divide dough into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Roll larger piece into a 12-inch circle; gently transfer to a 9-inch glass pie dish. Place filling in pie plate and spread evenly; set aside.
• Roll remaining dough into a 9-by-9-inch square; cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Using strips, form a lattice pattern over filling. Trim bottom crust, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Crimp edges to seal. Brush with egg, and bake until filling is firm, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

ITALIAN CHEESE RUSTIC PIE

Steps:

• Prepare pie crust according to package directions for TWO-CRUST PIE using 9- inch pie pan. Place oven rack at lowest position. Heat oven to 375°F.In large bowl, slightly beat 3 eggs. Add ham, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano and pepper blend well. Spoon filling mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust seal edges and flute. Cut slits in crust in several places. Brush beaten egg over crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375°F. on lowest oven rack for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown. Cover edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes of baking if necessary to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Nutrition Per Serving: Calories 450 Protein 20g Carbohydrate 27g Fat 29g Sodium 860mgFrom "Pillsbury Best of the Bake-Off® Cookbook." Copyright 2004 General Mills. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.