Ciambella Rustica

For years, a big part of our Easter tradition has involved baked goods. We would make Easter bread, Italian rice pie (which Ava has since taken over and now claims as her own), fiadone cheese pockets, and pizza rustica—also known as pizza chena, or simply Easter ham pie.

Pizza rustica, as I prefer to call it, is a rustic pie made with eggs, various meats such as ham, salami, pepperoni, or mortadella, and cheese—provolone being my choice. I also like to add black olives, simply because I love them, and they complement this dish beautifully.

This year, I discovered an interesting variation called Ciambella Rustica, courtesy of Giovanni Siracusa. The concept and ingredients are basically the same, with the addition of flour and olive oil, which transforms it into more of a bread or savory cake. It can be baked in either a tube pan or a Bundt pan (cue My Big Fat Greek Wedding). I was intrigued and decided this was the recipe I would follow this year.

The process was wonderfully simple—everything mixed in one bowl, poured into the pan, and baked. The result had the same savory flavors as traditional pizza rustica, but with a more bread-like texture that was surprisingly complementary.

The beautiful part of traditions is the comfort of revisiting moments we love. Another wonderful part is allowing ourselves to update them—carrying the original meaning forward in a new and special way. This recipe does exactly that.

I realize I’m sharing this a bit late for Easter, but honestly, it’s a dish worth making any time of year. It’s far too delicious to enjoy just once.

To watch Giovanni Siracusa’s process and to get his recipe, click here.