Holiday Pizza Rustica

Veniero’s traditional pizza rustica is made with ricotta and parmesan cheese, eggs, prosciutto, ham, and salami. In many regions of Italy, the serving of this pie marks the end of the meatless Lenten period.

Antonio Veniero immigrated to New York City from Southern Italy in 1885, and by 1894 he’d saved up enough money to open his own social club on 11th Street between First and Second Avenues. Eventually Antonio brought several “mastro pasticcieres” (master bakers) over from Sicily and Veniero’s became a full-scale Italian pasticceria. More than 125 years since its founding, Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffé is one of New York’s only remaining old-world Italian bakeries, still using many of its original recipes. It’s still owned by the Veniero family, and it’s a true East Village landmark.