Authentic Easter pies from a Woodstock chef

Bologna’s Easter pies are rich, rustic, flavorful and handmade -- like all of the food he cooks at his highly regarded restaurant in downtown Woodstock. They are his mother’s pies, heirloom recipes from southern Italy. They endure from the Catholic tradition of breaking the fasts of Lent and Easter week with something voluptuous -- something that makes up for lost time and calories with an abundance of eggs, meat, cheese, butter.

And they are just as likely to be savory as sweet.

Bologna’s savory Easter Pie, which he bakes once a year to sell at Vingenzo’s, is a gorgeous fat disc with a texture somewhere between cheesecake and quiche. It calls for 1 1/2 pounds of ricotta, a half-dozen eggs and a veritable deli case of soppressata sausage, prosciutto, salami and mozzarella. A one-of-a-kind taste sensation, it marries the salty tang of cured meat, fluffy ricotta and a perfect crust of buttery flakiness.

“It’s a celebration pie. We eat it for Easter brunch,” said Bologna, who opened Vingenzo’s in 2008 and makes all his Neapolitan-style pizza crusts and pastas from flour, salt and water he imports from Italy. The New York native is the son of a butcher who immigrated from Basilicata, in southern Italy, to America in 1920. His mother, a passionate home cook, was born in the States, though her family was from the same region in Italy.

There are many variations of this pie in the Italian and Portuguese repertoire. Some, such as Torta di Pasqua, are baked from puffed-up yeast dough and look like cheese bread. Some versions, Bologna points out, have a top crust, and some don’t. Others are studded with macaroni or whole hard-boiled eggs, which are visually stunning and oh-so-Easter-y when the pie is sliced.

Of course, an Easter feast is not complete without something sweet. Bologna’s response is another classic, Pastiera Napoletana (Easter Ricotta Cake). The Pastiera starts with wheat berries, which are simmered in milk until creamy, then mixed with a lemon-scented custard, ricotta, crystallized citron, and hints of cinnamon and orange-blossom water. It is a time-consuming, multi-step affair. The end result is lovely, delicious and unlike anything else I have ever tasted in my life.

Testing the Pastiera on his sister recently, Bologna was honored when she told him their mother would be proud. Asked if he ever makes an Easter pie out of season, he acts as if you had accused him of cheating. “Absolutely not,” he said. “You wait patiently for a year. That’s all part of the excitement.”

Some say the same thing about marshmallow Peeps and chocolate bunnies. Those come around often enough. But I’m not sure I can wait a year for Bologna’s amazingly decadent meat-and-cheese-choked Easter Pie.

Recipes

Chef Michael Bologna of Vingenzo’s restaurant in Woodstock shared his family recipes for Easter pies -- one sweet and one savory. The Pastiera is called a cake, but it’s prepared much like the pie. The wheat berries give the Pastiera texture, and the citron, cinnamon and orange-blossom water add lovely grace notes.

Easter Pie

If you cannot find soppressata, feel free to substitute any cured meat. As the dish has become Americanized, Bologna says, people even throw in pepperoni.

Hands on: 1 hour

Total time: 2 1/2 hours

Serves: 10 to 12

8 ounces (1 7/8 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

3 ounces cold water

1 1/2 pounds (2 3/4 cups) ricotta cheese

6 eggs, yolks and whites separated

8 ounces soppressata sausage, 1/4-inch dice

6 ounces prosciutto, 1/4-inch dice

6 ounces salami, 1/4-inch dice

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, 1/4-inch dice

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water, a little at a time, to form a cohesive dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms a large smooth ball, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease a 10-inch springform pan.

Remove pastry from refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 14-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick. Turn dough into springform pan. Gently press against sides, making sure the dough fits snugly all around the pan. Trim the overhanging dough along the top so that it’s even with the pan.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle, beat the ricotta until smooth. Add egg yolks and blend well. Add the soppressata sausage, prosciutto, salami, mozzarella, Parmesan and black pepper. Mix well with a rubber spatula. Place egg whites in a small or medium bowl and, using the mixer, beat until stiff. Fold egg whites into the ricotta-and-meat mixture and mix well. Pour into the waiting pie shell and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted at the middle of the pie comes out clean.

Place the pie on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes or longer. Gently run a knife around the side of the pan. Carefully remove the side ring of the pan. Cut into wedges, and serve immediately. Store any leftovers in refrigerator; reheat or serve at room temperature.

Per serving, based on 10: 620 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 29 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 46 grams fat (24 grams saturated), 259 milligrams cholesterol, 1,051 milligrams sodium.

Pastiera Napoletana (Easter Ricotta Cake)

This multi-step recipe involves cooking wheat berries, making a custard and a ricotta filling and mixing it all together. A good game plan is to cook the wheat berries and make the pastry a day ahead. Chill both overnight until ready to make the dish.

Hands on: 1 hour

Total time: 3 1/2 hours

Serves: 10-12

For the crust:

9 ounces (2 cups plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour

5 ounces (3/4 cup) granulated sugar

5 ounces (10 tablespoons) butter, softened

2 eggs

For the filling:

8 ounces (1 7/8 cups) wheat berries

1 quart whole milk, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces (7/8 cup) all-purpose flour

1 pound (2 1/4 cups) granulated sugar, divided

5 egg yolks, divided

Zest of 1 lemon

8 ounces (1 cup) ricotta cheese

3 eggs

3 ounces (1/4 cup) crystallized citron peel

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon orange-blossom water

To make the crust: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, whisk together flour and sugar. Add butter and blend on low speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add eggs. Mix until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes. Shape dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To make the filling: In a large saucepan, place wheat berries, 2 cups milk, vanilla extract and butter. Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat. Turn heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the kernels have opened and the mixture is creamy, about 1 1/2 hours. Take off heat and allow to cool.

In large mixing bowl, whisk flour and 1 1/8 cup sugar. Add two egg yolks and mix until well combined. Pour remaining 2 cups milk and lemon zest into a medium saucepan. Over medium heat, cook until the milk is frothy and scalded, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the milk into the flour/sugar/egg yolk mixture. Mix well, and return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens into a custard, about 1 minute. (As the mixture thickens, you will need to whisk quite vigorously to make the custard.) Remove from heat, strain through a sieve to remove solids, and cool.

Using a stand mixer with a paddle, combine ricotta and remaining 1 1/8 cup sugar in mixing bowl until smooth. (You may do this with an electric mixer or by hand.) Whisk remaining three egg yolks and the three eggs in a small bowl. Gradually add egg mixture to sugar-and-ricotta mixture, mixing until smooth. Add citron peel, cinnamon and orange-blossom water, and blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, mix the wheat-berry mixture, the custard and the ricotta mixture until well incorporated. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 10-inch springform pan.

Remove pastry from refrigerator, and cut into two equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll one piece into a 14-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick. Turn dough into prepared greased pan; press against sides and trim along top.

Roll out remaining piece of dough and cut into 1/2-inch strips. Pour filling into pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Arrange the pastry strips in a lattice pattern on top of the custard mixture. Fold the border of pastry over the lattice pattern to conceal any uneven edges. Bake 1 hour, until the pastry is golden and the filling is just about firm when you touch the top of it.

Per serving, based on 10: 728 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 16 grams protein, 111 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 26 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 274 milligrams cholesterol, 256 milligrams sodium.