 of ricotta, hard-cooked eggs and assorted salamis, sausages and cheeses. It was very dramatic when sliced and very delicious to eat.
No one makes it anymore. Then my sister invited me to Easter Brunch and slyly asked if I knew how to make it. A challenge of sorts! I thought about it and decided that I would make a lightened version of the dish. In my version, the amount of meats and cheeses are decreased, there is only a bottom pastry crust and the whole pie is reduced to about 2-inches in depth. The traditional flavors remain, but it is restrained (think Chanel, not Versace).
I made it in a traditional ceramic French quiche dish with an approximate 11-inch diameter, about a 2-inches depth, a flat bottom and fluted sides. An ‘American’-style pie dish with sloping sides would also work.
I think this dish would best prepared in the style of my mother and her sisters; that is, divide the work over a couple of days. At the least, make the pastry dough a day or two before. data-pin-do=)
ITALIAN EASTER ‘QUICHE’ by Foodie’s Markets Chef, Laura Brennan
March 29, 2018
My first-generation Italian mother and aunts negotiated yearly about who was going to make the “Pizza Gana”. This was a rustic ‘pie’ enclosed in pastry, 4-5 inches deep, with a three-pound filling (!) of ricotta, hard-cooked eggs and assorted salamis, sausages and cheeses. It was very dramatic when sliced and very delicious to eat.
No one makes it anymore. Then my sister invited me to Easter Brunch and slyly asked if I knew how to make it. A challenge of sorts! I thought about it and decided that I would make a lightened version of the dish. In my version, the amount of meats and cheeses are decreased, there is only a bottom pastry crust and the whole pie is reduced to about 2-inches in depth. The traditional flavors remain, but it is restrained (think Chanel, not Versace).
I made it in a traditional ceramic French quiche dish with an approximate 11-inch diameter, about a 2-inches depth, a flat bottom and fluted sides. An ‘American’-style pie dish with sloping sides would also work.
I think this dish would best prepared in the style of my mother and her sisters; that is, divide the work over a couple of days. At the least, make the pastry dough a day or two before.
- Prep: 45 mins
- Cook: 35 mins
- Yields: 6 to 8
Ingredients
Tart dough ingredients (for a 10/11-inch quiche dish or a 9-inch pie plate)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plus extra flour for rolling out dough)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, well-chilled
4 ½ tablespoons water, ice-cold
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
Quiche filling ingredients
6 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup ricotta cheese, full fat
1 cup cream: heavy, half-and-half or light cream
4 ounces frozen or cooked fresh spinach, squeezed dry of excess liquid and chopped
3-ounces sharp provolone cheese, ¼-inch cubes
3-ounces salami or Sopressata, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1-ounce grated Romano cheese
1-ounce grated asiago cheese
2-ounce grated parmigiana cheese
(note: any 3-ounce combination of these above cheeses will work)
Fresh ground black pepper
Tiny pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of kosher salt (salami and cheeses can be salty, won’t require much additional salt)
½ cup green peas, defrosted
2-tablespoons fresh chives, snipped
Directions
Making the filling
Prepare the meats and cheeses: dice the provolone and salami. Grate the Romano, parmigiana and asiago cheeses if necessary. Squeeze the spinach of excess liquid—clean hands will work or put in a towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Coarsely chop the spinach. Defrost the peas by running under cold water in a strainer.
Measure the ricotta into a bowl. Season with a pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper and nutmeg. Add the cream and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, beat the whole eggs and the yolks together with a whisk or fork until thoroughly combined. Add the beaten eggs to the ricotta-cream mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients: all the cheeses, the salami, the spinach and the peas. Add the chives, another small pinch of salt and a liberal amount of fresh ground black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Roll-out and pre-bake tart shell
Pre-heat oven to 375.
Butter the bottom of the quiche or pie dish you will be using.
Dust the table with flour and roll out your dough into a 12/13-inch circle. It should be about ¼-inch thick.
Line the baking dish with the dough and gently press into the ‘corners’ of the dish. If using a quiche dish, roll the rolling pin across the top to trim the excess dough. If using an-American-style pie dish, press the dough into the dish and trim the overhang but leave an-inch of dough. Fold the excess dough under and press to create an edge.
Chill the dough for about 1-hour.
Blind Bake
When dough has chilled, prepare for the first or partial baking of the crust. Line the dish with parchment paper or foil. Fill with uncooked beans or rice. These will act as weights and keep the pastry from shrinking or rising during this first (or ‘blind-baking’). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, turning dish around ½-way through the baking. The pastry should begin to look cooked but not browned.
Remove from oven, carefully remove foil/paper and weights and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Decrease heat to 350 degrees.
Final baking
When tart shell no longer feels hot to the touch, spoon, don’t pour the filling into the shell. Distribute the ingredients evenly. You may have an excess amount of filling depending on the size and shape of the baking dish. (Excess filling can be baked in an appropriately-sized, buttered vessel, without a crust. For example, a muffin tin would work nicely.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Make sure to check after 20 minutes of baking and turn dish in the oven once during baking. The quiche should have a slight, slight ‘wobble’ in the very center-—the residual heat during the cooling process will finish the cooking.
Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy slightly warm or at room temperature.
