How to make Easter Pizza Chiena

Pizza Chiena is a delicious, indulgent dish, used to celebrate the end of Lent and the high holiday of Easter.

It’s typically made on Good Friday and eaten on Easter Saturday or Easter Sunday to break the Lenten fast.

SERVING: Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS:

For the pastry:

• 4 cups + ¼ cup + 2 tbsp of flour;
• 1/2 package of active dry yeast;
• 1.75 oz of lard or oil;
• 1 tsp of salt;
• water (about 300 ml.)

For the stuffing:

• 10 eggs;
• 7 oz of salami Napoli;
• 7 oz of cooked ham (prosciutto cotto);
• 4 oz of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese;
• 7 oz of raw ham (prosciutto crudo);
• 7 oz of scamorza cheese;
• 4 oz of  grated Pecorino Romano cheese;
• 7 oz of provolone cheese;
• 7 oz of ricotta cheese;
• freshly ground pepper to taste
  
          
  

METHOD:

• In a bowl, melt the yeast in a little warm water.
• Place the flour in a fountain and add the lard (or oil) and the yeast dissolved previously.
• Mix everything well adding more warm water in which you have dissolved the salt and making the mixture homogeneous, then let it rise until doubled.
• Meanwhile beat the eggs with the grated cheese and pepper to taste.
• Also add ricotta.
• Add salami and the diced cheeses not so small and mix well.

• Take back the leavened dough. And divide it into two blocks, one bigger than the other.

• Roll out each dough with your hands or using a rolling pin, until you get a dough that is not too thin and with the larger one, line a baking sheet with the high edges previously greased with lard (or oil).

• Pour the filling inside.

• And place the other pastry on top of it.

• Close the edge around so that the filling does not come out during cooking.
• Grease the pastry with lard or oil and let it rise for another hour.

Then cook the pizza in an oven preheated to 356 F degrees for about an hour.

When it becomes beautiful golden, do the toothpick test, if it comes out dry, turn it off and let it cool well in the oven, before cutting it.

Taste the Neapolitan pizza chiena the day after and if you don’t like to eat it cold, you can heat it for a few minutes in the oven at 356 F degrees.

Note: The doses are for a 10.23 inches diameter baking pan, it should be borne in mind that the larger the lower pan the pizza will be, so if you prefer it nice high you have to use one of 8.66-9.45 with high edges, mine is 8.66 inches.

Buon Mangiata!