This is another recipe that could have been piled on to the Good Friday list. In addition to the tons of Ham Pies we made that day we also made Cream Pies, Rice Pies, Wheat Pies, and Ricotta Pies. There was usually a master list in my grandmother’s head of which pie was to be given to who and the tops of each pie were different so that they could all be kept separated. Here is the recipe for both the crust and the filling:

Ricotta Pie Crust

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 2 heaping tablespoons of spry
  • 2 eggs
  • 3-4 table spoons of milk

Note: Spry is/was a vegetable shortening…like Crisco.

Ricotta Pie Filling

  • 2 pounds of ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • 3-4 eggs (depending on size)
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon extract

Basically make the dough ahead of time and roll out enough to fill the bottom of a pie pan. We used to then make strips of dough to place on top of the filling. You can create your lattice with about 4-5 strips in each direction.

As for the filling, just mix it all together and ladle it into each pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!