Easter Pie — The Recipe That Carries the People We've Lost

The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 5 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.

Mama called at 6 AM to tell me the bakery had its best week. She reported this with the urgency of a woman who considers every piece of information critical and every phone call an opportunity to also critique my cooking from forty miles away.

I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.

I made avgolemono — the soup that fixes everything. Chicken broth, rice, eggs, lemons. Simple. Ancient. Golden as a January sunrise. Sophia ate 1 servings and said nothing, which means it was good. Alexander ate 2 and asked for more. The pan was empty by nine. Empty pans are the highest form of flattery in this kitchen.

The weeks pass and I am learning that life at 49 is not what I expected at twenty-five. It is messier, harder, more beautiful. The moussaka is better because my hands have made it more times. The career is stronger because the failures taught me what the successes could not. And the love — the love I pour into every dish, every showing, every Sunday drive to Tarpon Springs — is bigger now because I have lost enough to know what it costs.

The avgolemono emptied the pan, and that felt like enough — but Baba was still with me through the rest of the week, humming somewhere just behind my thoughts. Easter is not far off, and in this family, Easter means pie: the kind that takes time, the kind that requires you to stand at the counter and work with your hands, the kind Baba would have stood beside me to make without saying a word. This Easter Pie — layered with eggs and cheese and everything sturdy and golden — is the dish I reach for when I need to feel the weight of the people I love, the ones still here and the ones I carry.

Easter Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes | Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 2 9-inch unbaked pie crusts (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 6 large eggs, divided
• 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 lb ham, diced small
• 1/4 lb pepperoni or salami, diced small
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon whole milk (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan and fit one crust into the bottom, pressing gently up the sides. Set aside.
2. Mix the filling. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano. Add 5 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the cooked sausage, ham, and pepperoni. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley, and mix until fully combined.
3. Fill the pie. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, spreading it evenly with a spatula. The filling should come nearly to the rim.
4. Top and seal. Lay the second pie crust over the filling. Trim any overhang to about 1/2 inch and fold the edges under, crimping firmly to seal. Cut 4–5 small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
5. Apply egg wash. Beat the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. Brush evenly over the top crust for a deep golden finish.
6. Bake. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375°F for 50–55 minutes, until the crust is a rich golden brown and the filling is set. A knife inserted through a slit should come out clean.
7. Rest before slicing. Allow the pie to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. It slices cleanest when fully cooled and can be served warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 780mg