So, I am sitting here, trying to relax, to remain calm.
Our KU Jayhawks are playing Kentucky for the National Championship in New Orleans. It is early in the game and I am already very nervous! My only comment so far is....why in a city like New Orleans that has more than its share of musicians, why oh why did they choose "The Fray" to sing the National Anthem?????????? I guess I am too old to have the anthem ruined by some clown. But then, I am the one who ranted here in my blog over Christina Aguilera's butchering of our anthem at last year's Super Bowl. I'm thinking I may never hear it performed as it should be, ever again. Sad.
Make me feel better, Jayhawks!
But on to the blog....
There is a great blog called Proud Italian Cook. I can truly say I have never been disappointed in her posts. Today's post really excited me! I am a huge fan of Italian cooking, and their pies and tarts are always right up my alley!
Here is today's blog, Please visit Proud Italian Cook soon, I know you will like it! While you ae there, check out the Lemoncello Tart! Go to http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.com/
From Proud Italian Cook, Monday, April 2, 2012
Italian Easter Bread
There are many forms of "Easter Breads" and every family has their own special recipe and tradition, some might be sweet and others might be savory.
In my family, Easter wouldn't be the same without my mother and aunt making their traditional "bostone" as they called it, Other names for this savory meat, cheese, and egg filled "pie' would be pizza chena, Easter pizza, pizza rustica. I have no clue why they called it bostone but it's probably because all the filling is encased within an eggy bread like dough.
This recipe is not for the faint of heart, there's eggs galore, lots of meat and wonderful cheese, it's meant to be made and eaten once a year, each slice is a meal in itself!
I was always told that the key ingredient in our Easter bread was the Tuma cheese, it binds everything together so well when melted, yet it still stays nice and chunky. In my area you can only find Tuma cheese at Easter time.
Many recipes you see on the web show a variety of meats used like salami or capicola and ham, but my mother and aunt always used straight up Italian sausage, preferably hot. Don't be afraid to use hot sausage here because the filling is so dense you'll hardly notice, it will just have a nice spiciness to it.
Where I purchase my sausage, the medium is hot and the hot is super hot, so I mixed them together and the heat was just right.
I would suggest prepping ahead of time, boiling your eggs, browning your sausage, chunking up your cheese and preparing the dough.
This recipe makes two very deep loaf pans filled to the brim, or one 9x13 deeper than normal pan, and believe me they are heavy!
I love to slice it right from the fridge and eat it cold, other family members like to warm it slightly, either way it's amazing and the smell just brings me back to my childhood!
Here's the recipe.
Julie and Eileen's Bostone
DOUGH
8 cups flour
1T salt
1 t. black pepper
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
water to get it to the right consistency.
Use a giant bowl and add flour, salt, pepper. Work the shortening in next, then add the 9 beaten eggs and mix until well incorporated, use water if necessary to make dough nice and smooth.
FILLING
4 lbs of browned hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 lbs of Tuma cheese diced, if you can't find it use mozzarella
1 doz hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 cups of Pecorino romano
3 raw eggs
salt and cracked black pepper.
Just mix everything together in one big bowl.
Roll dough out to fit in pan and let it overlap slightly, then add your filling pressing down and adding more. Save enough dough to place on top, then roll the sides up to meet the top. Brush with egg yolk for a beautiful shiny gloss.Proud Italian Cook blog is out of Chicago.
Thank You Proud Italian Cook!
Have a wonderful Easter!
