Venison Pizzagaina (Pizza Rustica) or Italian Easter Pie Recipe

Cooking Instructions

Wrap the ricotta cheese in cheesecloth and place into colander suspended over bowl to drain. Drain at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Gently squeeze out any remaining liquid before using cheese.

In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add all the flour and salt and mix a bit before adding the small pieces of chilled butter. Mix on medium until the mixture just begins to come together in a ball, but don't over process or your crust won't be flaky.

Drizzle in the 1/4 cup milk and two eggs. This should make a dough ball form as you continue to mix. If the mixture still doesn't form a ball, drizzle in a bit more milk until it does. With your hands, gently press your dough into a large ball at first, then flatten it into a thick disk and wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to rest at room temperature. Do not over mix or knead dough.

Filling

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Brown the venison and add the Italian seasoning. Remove from skillet and set aside to cool.

Rough chop the venison bacon (ham or salami can be substituted if you don't have venison bacon)

Place the cubed cheeses into a large bowl. Mix in the browned venison and venison bacon. Blend well. Sprinkle over the parmesan and stir gently to blend.

Next, place the drained ricotta into a second mixing bowl and add the 2 eggs. Mix thoroughly with a strong wooden spoon.

Add the salt, black pepper and a SMALL pinch of the nutmeg and mix into the ricotta.

Add the ricotta mixture into the meat/cheese filling and mix with the large spoon, turning over and over until the whole mixture is well bound together. Refrigerate the filling while you prep the dough.

Grease and flour all interior surfaces of a 10-inch springform pan. Flour work surface well. Unwrap dough and move it to work surface. Cut off 1/5 of the dough and reserve for top lattice. Flatten the remaining dough into a disk and move it around the work surface. Flip the dough and move around again to flour the opposite side.

Cover the dough with parchment paper and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a round roughly 16 inches across and ¼-inch thick, rotating dough often on work surface to prevent sticking. Remove the parchment paper and flour the surface of your rolling pin. Gently and loosely roll the dough onto the rolling pin, then transfer it to the springform pan. Gently work dough down into springform and up the sides of the pan, giving it ample time to settle into the pan's transition from bottom to sides. Use a sharp paring knife to remove excess dough from above the top of the pan's sides.

Save any excess dough cut from pan and add it to the reserved dough. Gently knead dough together and roll out onto floured work surface. Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into ¾-inch-wide strips at least 10 inches long.

Gently turn filling mixture into the dough-lined springform pan, using the back of a wooden spoon to press out any air pockets. Use the spoon to flatten the surface of the filling. Gently transfer the lattice strips to the surface of the pie in an open basket weave pattern. Use a sharp knife to cut off excess dough and crimp the ends of the lattice strips to the side dough.

Beat remaining egg in a small bowl and add a pinch of Kosher salt. Use a pastry brush to paint the tops of the lattice strips with the egg wash. Lightly sprinkle over more Kosher salt.

Bake on top shelf of oven for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and set in the center (no jiggle when you shake pan). To prevent any mess in your oven from runover, place a foil lined cookie sheet on lower shelf directly below pie.

Allow to rest for 20 minutes to 1 hour before slicing.