Today a savory traditional recipe: Neapolitan Easter tortano.

On Easter Day, this rustic pie is a must on Neapolitan tables and, nowadays, on many Italians’ tables as well; together with the casatiello, it is an undisputed king of the holiday season.

The tortano is a rustic pie enriched with cured meats, cheeses and hard-boiled eggs placed directly in the dough; it is prepared using lard, which gives the exterior a crisp texture. Savory, fragrant and soft enough to melt in your mouth — a real treat! Making it is fairly simple and, I assure you, once you try it you’ll make it on other occasions too, not only during the Easter holidays but also for a buffet or simply to give to someone when you visit them.

I will definitely prepare it together with a nice Easter pie (torta pasqualina) and some colombine without a mold to put in my picnic basket for Easter Monday for a lovely outing in the open air.

Let’s see step by step how to make this recipe.

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Ingredients for the tortano

2.5 cups Manitoba (high‑gluten) flour
2.5 cups 00 flour (type 00) (+ more for the work surface)
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup grated pecorino
1 tsp black pepper (generous)
2 tsp fine salt
tsp active dry yeast
5 1/2 tbsp lard
1 tsp honey
7 oz Neapolitan salami, diced
7 oz pancetta (lean), diced
5.3 oz provola, diced
3.5 oz provolone, diced
4 hard‑boiled eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano‑Reggiano (~70 g)

Tools

1 Kitchen scale
1 Stand mixer
1 Work surface board
1 Cutting board
1 Knife
1 Ring/bundt pan
1 Measuring jug
1 Rolling pin
1 Saucepan

Let’s make the Neapolitan Easter tortano together

In the bowl of the stand mixer, pour the flours, the active dry yeast and the ground pepper and start mixing with the dough hook. In a small bowl put the water with the salt and dissolve it, then pour it slowly into the flour while mixing.
Continuing to knead, add the honey and, when it has been absorbed, add the grated pecorino and let it mix for about one minute with the hook at medium speed.
At this point we can start adding the lard, a little piece at a time, making sure each piece is well absorbed before adding more. Once all the lard is incorporated, let the machine work a little longer until the dough is well bound and wrapped around the hook. Then turn it out onto a work surface, shape it into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl to rise. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 3 to 4 hours or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: hard-boiled eggs, cured meats and cheeses. In a saucepan put water and the eggs and cook them for 7 minutes from the moment the water boils; then drain them into cold water and peel them.
Take the salami, pancetta, provola and provolone and cut them into cubes roughly the same size and keep them in a small bowl. Cut the hard‑boiled eggs first in half and then into three wedges each.
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and begin to spread and flatten it with your hands. Then, using a rolling pin, roll it out into a rectangle, making sure the longer side is long enough to fill the circumference of the pan. Sprinkle the dough surface with a handful of grated Parmigiano.
Spread the diced cured meats and cheeses over the dough, distributing them evenly to cover the entire surface. Then add the hard‑boiled eggs and sprinkle again with grated Parmigiano.
Starting from the long side, roll the dough onto itself, tightening slightly as you roll and taking care not to let the filling spill out. Once you have a log, place the seam underneath.
Take an 8.7–9.5‑inch ring/bundt pan (22–24 cm) and grease it well with lard. Then place the tortano in the pan. Grease the surface of the tortano with a little lard and let it rise for about one to two hours in the turned‑off oven. When it has risen, bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 60 minutes. At around 50 minutes check that the top is not browning too much; if it is, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking.
After baking, remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before unmolding and allowing it to cool completely. While you wait, take a photo of your Neapolitan Easter tortano and post it on social media tagging me (Una Riccia che pasticcia Instagram and Facebook) and tell me if you’ll give it as a gift or bring it with you for Easter Monday.