One of my most favorite foods to enjoy at this time of year is Easter
Pie. A mixture of meats and cheeses baked into a delicious homemade
crust, this pie brings back memories of family togetherness during Holy
Week cutting everything up and putting it together. While our family is
now scattered, I am blessed that my seventy-eight, almost
seventy-nine-year-old aunt still continues this family tradition and
shares it with me. Here is her recipe...
Ingredients needed:
(*please
note: we never use pepperoni in the making of the pie as some do, nor
did we ever add pasta (ditalini) as filler in our pies)
Ham - 3 pounds diced up
Hatfield Hot Sausage - 1 1/2 pounds - cooked out of the skin casing and drained
Hard Boiled Eggs - 2 dozen diced up
Raw Eggs - 1 dozen
1 Small Basket (from the cheese store) of Tuma Cheese
dry Ricotta Cheese 1 1/2 pounds ( you don't want it too wet, your crust will be soggy)
Parmesan Cheese 1 cup ( romano cheese can be too strong)
A sprinkle of parsley flakes
Crust - top and bottom
Baking Time:
Preheat
the oven to 450 degrees - You will bake the pie(s) for 15 minutes,
then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake the pies for 55
more minutes.
After Baking, cool the pies on a wire rack. Do not cut into the pies while warm, you want the contents to set up.
Mixing:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and place covered in the fridge overnight for the flavors to melt together.
The
next day, make your homemade crusts for the pies with a bit of overlap
from the bottom layer ( this recipe makes approx. 3, 10" pies ).
Fill the pies pretty level with the baking dish ( glass dishes were used) and cover with a top crust.
Pinch the ends of the top and bottom crust together to seal and pierce the top layer of the crust with a fork to vent.
Baste the top crust with an egg yolk wash - ( no egg whites and a little water ) and Bake!
One
other note, we do not add salt or pepper to the mixture when we prep
it. We feel the ham lends the salt needed and the hot sausage adds a
perfect amount of spice.
All that is left to do is to Eat...and Enjoy. And enjoy we did today as this is one delicious pie.
