Don Angie’s Pizza Chiena is the showstopping Italian Easter pie that takes every bit of meat you skipped during the Lenten season and stuffs it – along with eggs and cheese – into a flaky crust. Yes, please.
If you’re not familiar, it’s a traditional Italian dish also known as Pizza Gain or Pizza Rustica. Packed inside are ham, sweet and spicy Italian sausage, hard-boiled eggs, fresh mozzarella, and sharp provolone, all nestled into a rich, golden crust infused with the rendered fat from the boiled meats.
Between the boiling, chilling, chopping, resting, and baking, this is definitely a special occasion dish – but I found that making the filling one day and the dough the next (then baking) was absolutely the move. So don’t be intimidated!
It’s a beast of a breakfast and so, so delicious. Serve it warm, at room temp, or cold straight from the fridge the next morning — honestly, it might be even better the next day.
For those of you in Maine, I have to share my new favorite find at the local co-op: Colvard Sausages. They’re based in Ellsworth and will definitely be my go-to sausage from here on out!
Book: Italian American, page 233
Rating: 4/5
How Easy Is That – Skill Level: Intermediate
How Easy Is That – Time Involved: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Store-Bought Is Fine: smoked ham steak
Recipe on Food & Wine.
