Name: Spinach, Ham, and Cheese Pie from Milan (Pizza Rustica alla Milanese)
Yield: One 12-inch pie, about 16 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salt; 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 20 pieces; 3 large eggs; 3 large egg yolks; 3½ cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off); 2 teaspoons baking powder; Freshly ground black pepper; Freshly grated nutmeg; 1 pound whole-milk ricotta; 4 ounces (about 1 cup) parmigiano-reggiano, finely grated; 2 pounds baby spinach; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 cup sliced yellow onion; Salt; 12 ounces boiled ham, thinly sliced; 6 large eggs; 12 ounces Emmentaler (Switzerland Swiss) cheese, rind removed and sliced thin

Preparation info

One 12 inch pie, about
16
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

A Baker's Tour

By Nick Malgieri

Published 2005

About

In 1988, when I was in Italy doing research for my book Great Italian Desserts, my friend Miriam Brickman joined me for some of the travel and visits to pastry shops. We were in the Via Montenapoleone neighborhood, Milan’s fashion center. I happened on Gastronomia Montenapoleone, a fancy prepared food shop, and was immediately seduced by a slice of this exquisite savory pie. My memory of it has remained so intact that I think my version is very close to the original.