Meatless Monday with Carlo’s Bakery Pizza Rustica Made Vegetarian

Welcome (back) to the blog and thank you for joining us for another Meatless Monday. We at Miratel Solutions took the Meatless Monday pledge as part of our CSR business initiatives at our green call centre in support of eliminating meat consumption one day per week (or more if you can) to improve personal and planetary health. You can read more about how this small effort can have great environmental impact at meatlessmonday.com. Now onto to our recipe du jour.

Whether or not you celebrate Easter, you may have seen or heard of a traditional Italian dish called Italian meat pie, salami pie or pizza rustica. Regardless of what it’s called, it refers to a savory pie filled with cheese, eggs and cured or other meats that is traditionally made for Easter brunches. Clearly not very vegetarian but thanks to the Simmer in the City blog we are bringing you a vegetarian adaptation of the traditional recipe from Carlo’s Bakery . Carlo’s Bakery is in Hoboken, New Jersey and is the famous setting for the TLC hit reality series Cake Boss starring baker Buddy Valasco. The traditional meat version is the only savoury dish that Carlo’s makes and is available for a mere two weeks each year. Now let’s get cooking.

Ingredients for the Dough:
• 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound chilled salted butter, cut into large pieces
• 5 large eggs, beaten

Ingredients for the Filling:
• 12 ounces baby spinach
• 8 ounces tomatoes, in 1/4-inch dice
• 8 ounces eggplant, in 1/4-inch dice
• 8 ounces roasted peppers, in 1/4-inch dice
• 8 ounces mozzarella, in 1/4-inch dice
• 8 ounces provolone, in 1/4-inch dice
• 2 pounds ricotta
• 4 ounces grated pecorino Romano
• 10 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten, for brushing crust

Directions for the dough:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together 6 cups flour and the salt. Using a pastry cutter, large fork, or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add eggs and knead for 1 minute. Add about 1 1/4 cups ice water, a little at a time, to form a cohesive dough.
2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms a large smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Remaining directions:
1. Mix the vegetables, cheeses, the 10 eggs and pepper in a large bowl. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Divide the dough into two pieces: two-thirds for the bottom crust and one-third for the top. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion of the dough into a rectangle to line the bottom and sides of a 12-by-9-inch glass baking dish, with some overhang.
3. Add the filling and smooth it lightly. Moisten the edges of the dough with a little water. Roll out the remaining dough to cover the top of the dish with some overhang. Trim off excess dough and crimp the edges to seal. Poke several sets of holes across the top with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush top and edges with the beaten egg, then return to the oven until golden brown, another 45 minutes. Let pie completely cool before serving.

Recipe yields one 12-by-9-inch pie and can be served warm or at room temperature. The total cooking time for this dish not including cooling times takes 2 1/2 hours but well worth the time investment.

This vegetarian twist on an Italian classic will be a welcome addition to your repertoire and not just when the holidays roll around – you can make it any time of year for brunch, lunch or even dinner. If serving for lunch or dinner, complete your meal with a side salad topped with a balsamic or red wine vinegar dressing.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit meatlessmonday.com to learn more. Join us in taking the pledge and promote going Meatless on Monday to family, friends and even co-workers to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop or salon even greener.

Buon Appetito!