Description
My grandma Puglia would make this as an appetizer for Easter and Christmas. It can be a meal in itself with a tossed green salad. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ricotta cheese
- 2 pounds bulk Italian sausage
- 5 large eggs, beaten
- 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- ¼ pound prosciutto, chopped
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 pounds prepared pizza dough
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Place a piece of cheesecloth into a strainer
- and place the ricotta cheese into the cheesecloth. Set a bowl underneath the strainer to catch drips
- and refrigerate 8 hours
- or overnight
- to allow moisture to drip from ricotta.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Place sausage into a large skillet over medium heat
- and cook and stir until browned and crumbly
- about 10 minutes. Drain excess grease
- and allow sausage to cool.
- Place the drained ricotta cheese into a large bowl
- and stir in 5 beaten eggs and mozzarella cheese until well mixed. Mix in the cooked sausage
- Parmesan cheese
- parsley
- prosciutto
- and black pepper until thoroughly combined.
- Divide the pizza dough into fourths
- and roll out 2 of the pieces into 12-inch circles. Fit the circles into 2 10-inch pie plates
- leaving 1 inch of dough hanging over the edge. Divide the filling between the 2 pies. Roll out 2 top crusts
- place onto the pies
- and fold the edges of the bottom crusts over the edges of the top crusts to seal. Crimp and flute the edges of the pie crusts.
- Beat 1 egg with water in a small bowl
- and brush the egg wash over the tops and edges of both pies. Cut several slits into the top crusts to vent steam.
- Bake pies in the preheated oven for 15 minutes
- then lower oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Continue to bake until the crust is browned and the filling is hot
- 45 to 50 more minutes. Serve at room temperature.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 10 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 16