TWD: BAKING WITH JULIA: Pizza Rustica

Fifth post with the group, Tuesdays with Dorie: Baking with Julia,
and this week’s recipe is PIZZA RUSTICA.

This recipe is from the book, Baking with Julia, by Dorie Greenspan.
The contributing baker for this recipe is Nick Malgieri.

There are two components to this pie: THE DOUGH and THE FILLLING.
This is not difficult to make.  Best when served the day after it is baked. Love recipes that can be made in advance. Translation>> More time for me to do other things when hosting a dinner party.

THE DOUGH

Making the Pie Crust (Pasta Frolla – sweet dough)

* I suggest putting the dough in the refrigerator until ready to use. Otherwise, it is not manageable to work with when warm.

THE FILLING

Put ricotta cheese in a bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until smooth.
Add the filling ingredients one by one, stirring and incorporating each ingredient.                 * I added additional spices (garlic powder, dried oregano, kosher salt, red pepper flakes).

Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate.

ROLL THE DOUGH

Divide dough in two pieces, one larger than the other.
Form the larger dough into a 12-inch circle.
Line the pie plate with the rolled dough.
Trim the edges.

COMBINE THE

DOUGH AND THE FILLING

Fill the pie plate with the filling.

With the other smaller dough, form strips and place on the pie.
Trim the edges and pinch to seal.

Bake the pie.

Transfer pie to rack to cool completely.
For best results, let it firm up overnight in the refrigerator.

I enjoy eating the pie warm with salad greens…so good!

The Pizza Rustica recipe can be found on pages 430-431.
The host bakers (where recipe can be found) are:

Host baker: Emily
Capital Region Dining

Host baker: Raelynn
The Place They Call Home

Also, check out the other Bakers’ blogs.

In an effort to provide useful information to bakers, (since the recipe is not included in my blog post), I’ll be providing a ‘baking tip’ on TWD:BWJ blog posts.

Let’s face it, if the oven doesn’t work properly, all the best ingredients in the world won’t help if the oven temperature is off. The percentages of a ‘perfectly baked dish’ go down considerably. If you don’t have your owners manual, google the brand of your oven to locate instructions on how to calibrate your oven. I own a GE Profile oven. I couldn’t find my manual. Fortunately, I found the calibrating instructions online.

BAKING TIP:
How to Calibrate a GE Profile Oven
By Andrew Todd, eHow Contributor

Enjoy your Pizza Rustica, or Easter Pie…whatever the name…it’s a keeper!

Peace in Baking,

Carmen

Baking is my Zen…sweet nibbles for the soul

NOTE: DO NOT use my photography WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.