My great aunt Rose Ciampi Russo, mother of five, aunt to hundreds, will always be known for her ham and cheese pie at Easter. I have no clue how many she baked, but it had to be dozens. Thankfully, one or two always found there way up the street to my grandparents’ house where we converged for Easter weekend.
Usually, my family arrived in Portland, Maine on Good Friday night. And that meant staring at the room temperature pie sitting on Grammie’s kitchen table until 12:01 a.m. when the adults cut “just a little sliver” before going to bed. I savored my piece in the morning at breakfast while my brother and little cousins awaited Grampie’s return from Tony’s Donuts.
Besides, my mother freaked if she saw her chubby daughter eating a doughnut, but somehow Aunt Rose Down the Street’s Ham and Cheese Pie — that’s what we call it — was a healthier option. Years later, we discovered that Tony was frying his doughnuts in lard, so maybe Ma was onto something!
My aunt, a most generous soul, has passed but thankfully she left behind her recipe for the pie which I have made every Easter for at least a decade. It’s hardly gourmet —layers of domestic boiled ham, provolone cheese and mozzarella with a mixture of eggs, ground black pepper and grated parmesan poured over then baked.
Some Italians call it “pizzagaina.” In fact, if you Google “Easter Ham and Cheese Pie” there are hundreds of recipes out there, some with three or four different meats, different cheeses even sliced hard-boiled eggs. But my family prefers the Aunt Rose recipe. And I wouldn’t dare change it.
AUNT ROSE’S EASTER HAM AND CHEESE PIE
For the CRUST:
4 large eggs
½ c. vegetable oil
1 t. black pepper
3 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 c. milk
1 t. baking powder
2 c. all-purpose flour (may need 1 c. more)
Beat the eggs and oil. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour. Continue to mix. Add the flour in three stages until mixed well until you have a soft dough.
Form into four equal-size balls. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes then roll out like you would for piecrust. Place two of the rolled out doughs into two buttered regular size aluminum pie plates or cake pans.
For the FILLING:
1 lb. of domestic boiled ham, sliced
½ lb. provolone, sliced
½ lb. mozzarella, sliced
4 or 5 large eggs (depending on the pie plate)
3 T. Parmesan cheese, grated
½ t. to 1 t. ground black pepper
Layer the ham and cheese in the two prepared pie plates — at least two layers (but I like at least three or four).
Sprinkle black pepper and parmesan into a bowl with the eggs. Beat and pour over layers.
(NOTE: According to my cousin, Aunt Rose put a few pea-size drops of Crisco onto the top of the mixture to help the eggs cook if the ham isn’t that fatty.)
Put the top layer of dough over each pie and make little cuts like you would with an apple pie.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour, but keep checking on the pies. If the pies begin to puff up, stick a knife into the cuts to let the air out. If the pies start to get too brown, drop the heat to 300 degrees or put a piece of aluminum foil over the top.
After the pies are done, cool them to room temperature before serving.
Serves 16…allegedly.
Tags:
#TheFoodsmith,
easter,
hamandcheesepie,
Italiantraditions,
lauraraposa,
pizzagaina
