Pizza Rustica

Imagine all the Italian ingredients we know and love – sausage, ham, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan – bunged in a pie. Delicious and light; perfect with a salad. This also slices and keeps its shape very well – perfect for a lunchbox or picnic.

FEEDS ABOUT 10

PASTRY

200 g (7 oz) chilled unsalted butter, diced into 2 cm (¾ inch) pieces

390 g (13¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour + extra, for dusting

1½ tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

1 egg + 1 extra egg yolk

70 ml (2¼ fl oz) iced water

FILLING

3 tablespoons olive oil

250 g (9 oz) fresh medium–hot Italian sausages, casings removed

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large bunch (about 600–700 g/ 1 lb 5 oz–1 lb 9 oz) silverbeet (Swiss chard) OR English spinach with stalks, finely chopped OR 285 g (10 oz) chopped frozen spinach

120 g (4¼ oz) thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) pieces

2 eggs, whisked

300 g (10½ oz/1¹/₃ cups) low-fat ricotta cheese

200 g (7 oz/1½ cups) shredded mozzarella cheese

35 g (1¼ oz/¹/₃ cup) parmesan OR pecorino cheese, freshly grated + 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

1 scant cup roughly chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

BITS & PIECES

1–1½ tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

1 egg, whisked, for egg wash

METHOD

To make the pastry, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until you have a sandy mixture. Add the egg, yolk and water, and pulse until the mixture begins to form a single mass. At this point, tip the mixture into a large mixing bowl – a good amount should still be a crumbly mess. Instead of kneading, use a squeezing action to bind the rest of the crumbs together to form a fat sausage. Divide the dough into two even pieces. Cut a one-third chunk out of one, and add it to the other, then shape them into discs. Cover both with plastic wrap, and rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with the Italian sausage meat in a medium non-stick frying pan over low heat to render out some of the fat. Increase to medium–high heat and brown the meat, breaking up any large chunks as you go. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant but not coloured. Transfer to a plate to cool completely before using.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the same frying pan over medium heat. Add the silverbeet, and cook until all the moisture from the leaves has evaporated. Transfer to a colander, and allow to drain. Cool completely, then squeeze out any excess moisture.

Combine the prosciutto, eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, cooled sausage mixture and wilted silverbeet in a large mixing bowl. Add pepper to taste. Fold gently to combine, or mix with clean hands.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) fan-forced. Have a 24–26 cm (9½–10½ inch) springform tin on stand-by.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each disc of pastry into circles 3–4 mm (¹/₈–³/₁₆ inch) thick. The larger one should be enough to line the bottom and side of the springform tin, but still have about 2 cm (¾ inch) of overhang. Sprinkle the bottom of the pastry with the breadcrumbs (to soak up any excess moisture), then top up with the cooled filling. Carefully place the smaller circle of pastry on top, then crimp or fold the edges over to seal the pie. Brush the top lavishly with the egg wash, sprinkle with a little extra parmesan, then use a paring knife to stab a few holes into the lid to allow the steam to escape.

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced and bake for a further 45 minutes until beautifully golden on top. Allow to rest for 30 minutes before serving.