Mom’s Italian Easter Pie AKA Calzone
The preparation of this Italian Easter pie, also referred to as calzone, is a traditional part of the holiday in my family. I grew up making this recipe with Tuma cheese. Known as “the lost cheese of Sicily,” this unique creamy cheese is made with cow’s milk from an age-old recipe. I also love to use Scamorza cheese in this recipe. Scamorza is another southern Italian cow’s milk cheese. Like mozzarella, the cheese curd is stretched, letting the curd mature in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop. A good substitute for these cheeses is a mix of mozzarella and provolone.
I like preparing this dish in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or my 10-inch Le Creuset round baking dish.
Yield: Makes one 10-inch pie using a cast-iron skillet
Mom’s Easter Pie (Calzone)
Ingredients
Crust
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- ¾ cup milk
Filling
- 8 ounces prosciutto, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 1 pound of ground mild Italian sausage
- 8 ounces soppressata, cut into ¼-inch dice
- 1 pound Tuma or Scamorza cheese, cut into ¼-inch dice (if not available, substitute provolone and mozzarella cheese)
- ½ cup grated Romano cheese
- 12 large eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Egg Glaze
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, combine 4½ cups flour, the baking powder and salt. Pulse to combine. With the processor on, add the butter cubes through the feed tube a few at a time. Process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the beaten eggs thru the feed tube followed by the milk. Process until dough is formed. Turn dough out on a lightly floured work area and work dough until it is smooth. If the dough seems too wet, work in additional flour. Cover dough with plastic food wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the meats, cheeses, 12 eggs and pepper. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Divide the dough into two pieces. You will need two-thirds of the dough for the bottom and side of the pan and the remaining third for the top. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger portion of dough into a 13-inch circle. Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough to a 10-inch cast-iron pan that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Using your fingers, press the dough into the pan leaving a slight overhang on all of the edges.
- Add the filling and smooth it out using an offset spatula.
- Roll out the remaining piece of dough into a 11-inch circle. Moisten the edge of the overhang dough with water then set the rolled-out dough on top of the filled pan. Trim off edge excess and crimp the sides. Using a fork, prick several sets of holes across the top of the dough to allow steam to escape during baking. If you like making decorative cutouts with the remaining dough and decorate the top of the pastry.
- Brush top of the pastry with the egg wash. Bake for approximately 1 hour until crust is nicely browned. Let pie cool completely before serving.
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