Pizza Chiena

Mix the flour and yeast in a large mixing bowl. By hand, mix in the lard and olive oil until both are relatively evenly distributed into the flour. Add half of the water, and continue to mix until a rough, broken dough begins to form, then mix in the salt. Continue to add a little bit of water at a time until a firm dough solidifies. Depending on the conditions, you may need more or less water than what we’ve listed, so adjust as necessary. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. If it sticks, dust it with more flour as necessary.

Form the dough into a ball, cover it with the mixing bowl, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes so that the gluten can relax. Knead the dough just a little bit more—it should be much smoother now. Place the dough ball back into the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, or until it doubles in size.

When the dough is almost ready, preheat an oven to 190°C.

In a large bowl, mix together the chopped meat and chopped cheeses together. Separately, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the eggs into the meat/cheese and mix all together with a spatula. Next, add enough grated cheese to absorb and thicken the excess liquid from the eggs. You may need more or less than the amount listed above, so feel free to adjust. The final mixture should be quite thick and not too liquid.

Cut 1/3 of the finished dough off and set aside for later. Dust a work surface with semolina flour and roll the remainder out into a big circle with a rolling pin. If the dough sticks, dust it with flour as necessary. The dough sheet should be large enough to drape into a springform pan with plenty of overhang. Do so, and gently press the dough into the pan to fill all the corners and cover the sides. With a fork, poke plenty of holes into the bottom.

Fill the pie with the meat, cheese and egg mixture. See some egg residue left in the bowl? Don’t throw it away! And don’t worry if the filling doesn’t completely fill the pan up to the rim. Use a spatula to evenly distribute the mix so that the top is flat.

Roll the 1/3 portion of the dough you set aside until it is large enough to cover the top. Drape it over the pie, and trim the edges so they line up with the rim of the pan. Likewise, trim the edges of the bottom crust so that they just slightly overhang. Roll the bottom crust edges inward to seal the top shut. If you like, you can press a fork into the crust around the rim to further close the pie. Poke a few holes with your fork into the top of the pie. Now, remember the egg left over in your bowl? Use your hand to evenly spread that over the entire surface of the pie. This will help create a beautiful, golden crust.

Bake the pie for 50-60 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven, or until the crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool completely before removing the springform mold.

Pizza chiena is best served cold the following day. Traditionally it was kept for several days at room temperature, but feel free to refrigerate if that makes you more