Nigella Lawson's Pizza Rustica Puts Other Pies To Shame

Its name might have the word "pizza" in it, but pizza rustica à la Nigella Lawson looks nothing like the pies we might pick up from the local pizzeria. 

Rather than being akin to the cheese and tomato creation that we know as pizza, The New York Times says pizza rustia is more of "a deep dish cousin to quiche" and filled with everyone's favorite cold cuts and sliced cheeses. Because pizza rustica is typically an Easter holiday dish, it is normally made two days before, on Good Friday, so that it is served during the holiday. Because it is filled with meat, the pies cannot be consumed until Good Friday has passed, and until noon on Holy Saturday, a religious custom which some traditional bakers still observe, per The New York Times. 

Lawson herself explained on her site that, "Pizza rustica is not a pizza in the way that we've come to understand it, though anyone who's spent time in Italy might well have come across it. The word pizza simply means pie, and this term denotes a deep, pastry-encased creation."

Nigella Lawson's fans across both Twitter and Instagram sent plenty of love the British domestic goddess' way. One Instagram follower reveals that the pie was a staple in her home and that, "My mom called it Pizza Chena.( full) It is so good. I make it during the Easter Season in moms memory." Another saw Lawson's post as a cooking reveal, saying, "Apart from the fact that I now know what the word 'pizza' actually means, I LOVE that this is in no way, a quiche! Can't wait to try this recipe out. Thank you!"

Over on Twitter, one fan said she had "finally made a mini version of this at the weekend, tho I confess to cheating and using ready made pastry. But just like every recipe of yours that I make, it was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted!! The flavor combinations were perfect, thank you as always, Nigella." And while one commented it looked like Stanley Tucci's Christmas timpano, another nixed the comparison because,"There's no pasta, ragu or eggs in this, so it's a very different thing. I make the all'inglese version from the @Nigella_Lawson Domestic Goddess book and it's absolutely one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten..."