How To: Make pizza gana

Forget about regular pizza, try this pizza gana, an Italian specialty, which is made once a year during Easter. But that doesn't mean you can't cheat and make it whenever you want, because this pizza gana, this meat pie, is sure worth making whenever you want.

Hand-made dough (rolled with a home-made rolling pin) is filled with the unmistakeable tastes of Italian cheeses and meats. The entertaining duo of Carla and Christine Pallotta of nebo pizzeria/enoteca in Boston's North End, share this traditional Easter dish that's one of their cherished family recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

Dough

* 2 lbs flour
* 2 tbsp oil
* 3 tbsp baking powder
* ¼ tsp black pepper
* 7 large eggs
* 7-8 oz warm water (or as needed)

Filling

* 1 lb ham
* ¾ lb prosciutto, cubed
* ¾ lb soppressata salami, cubed
* 1 lb fresh cheese, drained (can substitute farmer cheese or ricotta cheese)
* 2 lbs ricotta cheese
* 7 eggs
* ¼ cup grated romano cheese

Special Equipment

* 12" round enamel pan

HOW-TO:

1. Preheat oven to 350º
2. Grease and flour a 12" round enamel pan
3. Roll out 2 rounds of dough
4. Place one round in the bottom of the pan
5. Fill ¾ of the way with the filling
6. Top with other dough round
7. Poke 4 holes on top, make small dough cross and place in middle. Bake 10 minutes
8. Beat 1 egg and brush dough. Bake 1 hour more