EGGS! Besides being delicious and nutritious, we personally use them in our kitchen in so many ways. From homemade pasta to frittatas and all the baking we do, eggs are a part of everyday cooking for us.
This post is sponsored by Burnbrae Farms but as usual, all opinions and statements are our own! Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to learn more about the Burnbrae Farms Family.
We were very excited to have been invited to a Burnbrae Farms’ recent grand opening! Not just another chicken barn I’ll tell ya! This is their first solar-powered farm and is located in Oxford County, close to us here in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is cleverly named “RALOS” = “solar” backwards!
We were so impressed with the sheer size of this project and all the technology involved in making it off-the-grid. That’s right, you didn’t misread that, off-the-grid! The 3 solar roofs at this location provide enough power for this 4-barn farm operation as well as the neighbouring farm! One starter pullet barn, one free-run layer and two free-range layer barns run daily completely by solar power. The technology and design in these barns are amazing, including high-efficiency motors, lighting and ventilation systems. There’s battery storage on-premise to provide power during stretches of cloudy days and overnight as well as a back-up generator to ensure the hens are protected no matter what. The solar-powered system was built to provide enough power during our short, cloudy, snowy winter days here in Ontario which means during the summer months, the batteries are filled to capacity by 10:00 am!! To say we were impressed is an understatement.
The biggest surprise of all was the cleanliness. Just being quite honest here, because, with 35000 hens per barn, one of the first things to cross our minds during the tour is ‘where does the poop go!’ With the systems, they have in place and meticulous procedures there wasn’t a speck of poop anywhere!
What an awesome day we had meeting members of the Hudson family and getting a personal tour of the farm. We learned the difference between their free-run, free-range, conventional and enriched egg farming. At the new visitor center at this Burnbrae location, you will learn about the 6 generation history of this family farm and take a tour behind the scenes of where your eggs come from. Burnbrae Farms is definitely leading by example with this off-the-grid sustainable farm. The passion and dedication of the entire Burnbrae family and their employees was very evident to us!
Do you know where your eggs come from? You can find the eggs from this off-grid farm under the Green Valley Farms brand at the following stores in their health sections:
- LCL Market stores (Ontario + Alberta)
- Sobeys – Ontario
- Metro – Ontario
- Foodbasics – Ontario
- Farm Boy – Ontario
- Independents/Others – Coppa, Highland, Galati, Concord Foods, Pusateri’s
Now, what will we be making with our eggs today you ask? Well, there’s this awesome rustic Italian pizza that Nonna Olga makes every year during the Easter season – eggs, pancetta, salami, cheese – it’s soooo good! My family hates waiting for Easter to enjoy this, so I figure why eat something so delicious just one time a year?
Traditionally, in Italy, this deep-dish, filled, double-crusted yumminess was made for “pasquetta”, the day after Easter Sunday. Families enjoy this day as a day of rest and often go to the country-side for a picnic with family. This rustic pizza-pie goes together quickly and is just as good cold as it is warm! I love making food that can also be lunch the next day. Heck, this dish can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
Nonna Olga’s version of “pizza rustica” uses pizza dough as the “crust”. Others use a no-yeast pastry dough much like a pie crust. Whether you purchase your dough or make your own, you will need 350 grams for this recipe. See below for a dough recipe that makes enough to make this pizza.
As with so many regional dishes, the meats and cheeses will vary from town to town. We’ve changed the ingredients slightly to items that are readily available at most grocery stores like pancetta, soppressata salami, friulano cheese, ricotta, and parmesan. There are few little things to remember that make this just right. You want the pizza dough rolled out thin or you’ll be eating a lot of ‘bread’, see instructions for specifics. The pan should have straight sides, not slanted, to keep the shape and structure of the pizza-pie. Lastly, don’t add salt – between the salami and the parmesan, there is plenty!
For us, we like to pair pizza rustica with soup or salad. We just love it and hope you do too!
Pizza Rustica | Rustic Italian Pizza
Description
This rustic Italian pizza is traditionally an Easter dish in Italy but why limit yourself to one time a year! It’s a simple deep dish pizza with loads of flavour. Be sure to refrigerate any left overs, it’s just as good cold!
Ingredients
- 350g prepared pizza dough
- 8 large eggs
- 70g cubed pancetta (Fully cooked Italian style bacon) (1/2 cup)
- 70g chopped Italian soppressata salami (1/2 cup)
- 50g shredded friulano cheese (1/2 cup)
- 40g grated parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
- 150g ricotta (1/2 cup)
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Use 1 Tbsp olive oil to grease an 8 inch/20cm round straight edged cake pan
- Use 200 grams of the dough to roll out a thin circle to a diameter of 12 inches/30cm.
- Place the dough in the greased pan making sure it goes right to the edges all around. Dough should over hang the pans edge by roughly 1/4 inch/6mm.
- Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the pancetta, salami, cheeses, and parsley to the eggs and mix together.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with black pepper.
- Use the remaining 100g of dough to roll out another circle for the top to a diameter of 8.5 inches/21.5cm.
- Place on top to cover the egg mixture. Match the edges with the bottom layer and pinch together all around. When you are done the entire circle will overhang the pan.
- Gently twist and pinch the edges of the dough into the pan creating the crust. See photos in the blog post for reference.
- Brush the remaining tablespoon of oil over the top.
- Prick the top of the pizza a few times with a tooth pick.
- Bake for 1 hour. Let rest 10 minutes before transferring to a rack or serving plate.
Notes
The dough will seem thin but that is ok. It should rolled out to roughly 1/8 inch or 1/4cm thick.
Don’t add salt, the parmesan and cured meats have plenty!
Dough for 1 Rustic Pizza
Description
This dough is simple to make and is just the right amount to make Pizza Rustica, Rustic Italia pizza.
Ingredients
- 175g all-purpose flour (1 cup)
- 3g active dry yeast (3/4 tsp)
- 125g lukewarm water (0.5 cup)
- 5g salt (1 tsp)
- 10mL olive oil
Instructions
- Add flour, water, and yeast together in a medium bowl. Mix together just until the flour is all combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto a floured work surface.
- Add the salt and knead for 5 minutes until you have a smooth dough that springs back at you when poked. Oil the bottom of the bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and cover. Let rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Turn the dough onto a floured work surface.
- Stretch and fold the dough onto itself like a piece of paper that needs to go into an envelope being careful not to stretch so much that you tear it. Turn and repeat on the other side. Place the dough back in the bowl seam side down, cover, and let rest again for 20 minutes.
- Repeat the stretch and fold sequence, cover, and let rest for 45 minutes.
- Use dough as directed in recipe.
Notes
This is also a good basic pizza dough and makes enough for one 12-14 inch pizza depending on thickness.
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