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In 1912, a boy named Giuseppe Montalto emigrated to the United States from Mineo in the Catania region of Italy at the age of 13. He eventually married his bride Josephine and started a family where they had four children.

One of those children, Peter was my uncle. I remember as a young kid, we would go to Joe’s (Giuseppe’s and Josephine’s) to visit and Joe would always be in the kitchen baking all sorts of sweets. Baking was a passion of his and he shared this recipe with my aunt, who in turn shared it with me. I hope you enjoy this amazing ricotta pie because it’s definitely worth the effort!

For the filling:
2 lbs. Ricotta Cheese, full fat
3/4 Cups Sugar
2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
2 Teaspoons of Orange Zest, Lemon Zest or a combination of both

For the dough:
2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled (original recipe used margarine)
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Flour, sifted
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 egg yolk for the egg wash for the top lattice crust.

*Special equipment. You will need one 9” spring form pan.

Preheat oven to 350° and place rack onto the middle of the oven.

Filling: In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, sugar, eggs and the zest and mix by hand until fully incorporated. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Dough: In a medium bowl, add the eggs, melted butter and sugar. Mix until well blended. Add the flour and baking powder to the egg mixture and blend well. Once the dough comes together, knead on a floured surface until it forms a tight ball. It will take about 5 minutes. Once the ball is formed, cut 1/3rd of the dough and put aside. Roll out the other 2/3rds of the dough on a floured surface to approximately 12” in diameter. Place the dough into the spring form pan. Cover the bottom and the sides. You may have to piece the dough together for an even fit on the bottom and sides of the pan. Once you line the pan, add the filling to the lined pan. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into 1” wide strips and place onto the top of the filling in a lattice pattern. Beat the egg yolk and brush over the lattice.

Place the pie onto a cookie sheet and into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325° and bake for an additional 60-90 minutes. At the 60-minute mark, slightly shake the oven rack and see if the ricotta is set firmly around the edges. If so, check the center of the ricotta pie. If it’s really loose, leave in the oven for the additional 30 minutes. Recheck after the time is up. If the center is slightly loose, take it out of the oven and let it cool on a rack for an hour. Then place it into the freezer for about 1-1/2 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator. Let sit overnight to fully set up. Remove the sides of the pan. Serves 16.

Visit Dorothy’s website at http://ddimarzo2002.wix.com/thymethief.