Pizza Gain 1 (Italian Easter Ham Pie)
Ingredients
- 140 g ham (sliced thick from deli-counter or cubed pieces of boiled ham)
- 28 g Parma ham
- 20 g salami
- 20 g salami (a different kind than the first)
- 20 g salami (Danish)
- 60 g pepperoni
- 60 g mozzarella cheese (whole milk mozzarella)
- 60 g fresh mozzarella cheese (this should come packed in water)
- 170 g ricotta cheese
- 60 g sharp cheddar cheese (original called for fresh basket cheese, aka Italian cheese, Easter cheese, or Farmer's cheese)
- 2 eggs
- 1 t grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 lb pizza dough
- oil (as needed)
- melted butter (as needed)
- egg (beaten, to brush on top)
- 1 t grated parmesan cheese
Method
Cube the ham meat. Cut the sliced meat by rolling & slicing, or cutting with scissors. Cube mozzarella.
In a very large bowl, add ricotta and cheddar/basket cheese. Add eggs. Hand stir with whisk. Add 1t grated parmesan cheese. Stir in the meat and rest of teh cheese.
Brush pan with oil, then melted butter. Roll out & lay dough on pan. Add cheese/meat mixture. Add top layer of dough and pinch bottom & top dough seams together tightly. Brush top with oil then egg. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Make Easter Cross with large fork to vent.
Bake at 375F / 190C / Gas 5 for 5 minutes; then at 350F / 175C / Gas 4 for 25 minutes; then at 325F / 160C / Gas 3 until done, about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. Brush top with melted butter. Cool 2 - 3 hours. Turn upside down overnight on large board. Cover pizza tightly with paper towel, foil, and dish towel. Refrigerate. Serve noon or later on Easter Saturday.
Serve chilled, or at room temperature.
Notes
SJ Note 24 Apr 2011: This was disappointing. Chris didn't like the texture combination at all, and I found it only mediocre altogether. I won't be making this again. I had to make some substitutions for the called-for salamis, and couldn't get the basket cheese; a younger cheese would have been a better substitute than sharp cheddar, but I didn't realize the mistake til I was ready to cook, so I used what I had. I've scaled the recipe down significantly, from 28-32 servings to 4: it fit perfectly in my 8" round by 2" deep pie pan. I've recorded what I did here. It's supposed to be runny when warm, which is part of the reason for serving it cold, but I don't find it runny when warm, and I find it tastier that way, so I'd suggest serving it warm or hot.