Grandma's Easter Patula

This year was the third year in a row that MDS and I have hosted Easter. We were lucky to have great weather so we could enjoy the outdoors, especially because the whole family came and it would have been very crowded if we were all inside. The nieces and nephews had a great time running around and playing games. It was nice to see everyone.

There are a number of traditional Easter dishes that we always have: ham, eggs newport, and hot cross buns. This year, I tried one from my Grandma's collection--Easter Patula, which is a traditional Italian savory pie. No one is sure of the source of the name, "patula." My online search reveals only a few plants that have the word patula in the formal name, including the French marigold. It appears that "patula" means "spreading" in Latin.

Mom said that Grandma used to make this dish just once a year on Easter. It is often served cold, but I served it fresh from the oven. It is delicious either way. Grandma's recipe makes an extra-large pie using a 9X13 pan, which shouldn't be surprising after a quick look at the ingredients. This dish is so good, it should be made more than once a year and could be a good pot luck dish.

Easter Patula 

Filling

• 2 1/2 pounds ricotta
• 6 hard boiled eggs, cut up
• 3 raw eggs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 1/2 pound Italian sausage
• 1/4 cup parsley, cut up
• salt and pepper

Dough

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• sprinkle of black pepper
• 3 eggs (reserve one egg white)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Brown the sausage. Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Meanwhile, mix together the dough ingredients. Knead for one to two minutes until smooth. Then, using just a little more than half the dough, roll out the bottom dough large enough to fit the bottom and the sides of the 9x13 pan. Carefully place the dough in the pan. Add the filling. Then roll out the top layer to fully cover the top and slightly overlap. After placing the top layer of dough over the filling, then cut off excess dough and crimp the edges together. Cut a few slits in the top layer. Bake at 400 for one hour. Allow to cool. Enjoy!