Italian Easter pie

Cooking Appetiziers Italian Easter pie

Easter doesnt have to be all about sugar. Celebrate with this pie for a savoury alternative -- or welcome respite after to many chocolate eggs!

  1. To make pastry, process flour and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sugar, zest, eggs and 1 1/2 tablespoons iced water and process until mixture forms large clumps. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, to make filling, shake excess water from spinach leaves. Heat a large pan over medium–high heat, add spinach, then cover with a lid and cook, shaking the pan, for 3 minutes or until spinach wilts. Transfer to a colander placed over a bowl and cool slightly. Using your hands, squeeze out excess moisture, then, using a clean tea towel, wring out any remaining moisture. Finely chop, then set aside.
  3. Process ricotta, eggs and nutmeg in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in spinach, salami, provolone, pecorino and parsley. Season with pepper.
  4. To make egg wash, beat egg yolk with 2 teaspoons water in a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 200C. Cut two-thirds off the pastry. Reserve smaller piece. Roll out the larger piece on a lightly floured work surface to a 35cm round and use to line the base and side of a 24cm springform pan, easing it into the edges and pressing it into the side of the pan, taking care not to stretch the pastry. Spoon over ricotta mixture and smooth the surface. Brush the rim of the pastry with some egg wash.
  6. Roll out remaining piece of pastry on a sheet of floured baking paper to a 5mm-thick, 22.5cm round, then place over filling. Trim edges, then, using a fork or your fingers, crimp edges to seal. Brush pastry with remaining egg wash. Using a sharp knife, make four small slits in the top, then bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 180C, then bake for a further 35 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
  7. Serve Easter pie warm or at room temperature with lemon cheeks.

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