i've made lots of recipes that i've gotten here and i appreciate everyone being so willing to share their favorites. the office was having a "welcome spring" pot luck today and i wanted to take something that i hadn't brought before. thanx to roselin, one was an old favorite and to cookingrvc/sue, one was something i hadn't tried before. more importantly, both were clear hits and i thank you for helping to feed my friends!

i started marinating the mozzarella on sunday (adding a bit of anchovy paste to the basic recipe) and rinsed off grape tomatoes and several sprigs of basil so i wouldn't have to deal with that at the office. this morning i cut the tomatoes in half and dumped them into the marinade. just before lunch i put a chunk of cheese, a basil leaf and half of a grape tomato onto a toothpick and set them out onto a white plate. they looked great and were the perfect size for a little bite. the tomatoes could have been better but everyone kept commenting on how good this was and i have to agree. i'd never made the ricotta pie before and was concerned it might be a bit "heavy" but woodie (who seems to have very much the sames tastes that i do) assured me it was a terrific dish and of course, i could cook it in advance and wouldn't need to worry about reheating it, etc. so i quartered the recipe and except for omitting the hard-boiled eggs (i simply can't make myself eat them), i made the recipe as written. i cut the pie into 16ths and had the first piece. i loved it and was very happy to see my co-workers' reaction to it. i'll be sending the recipes into the office for those who asked for them tomorrow. thank you BOTH very much!

Marinated Mozzarella -- Roselin

1 lb fresh domestic mozzarella

1/2 c olive oil (I use the lite)

2 large cloves garlic, pressed

10 coarse grinds black pepper

2/3 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp salt- less if using

4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced

Drain cheese of all brine. Cut in cubes. Whisk together all remaining ingredients. Toss with cheese.

Yield: about 4 cups

RL`

Pizza Rustica

From Sue (Cookingrvc)

4 lb Whole-milk ricotta

1 C Grated Romano cheese

8 Large eggs

2 lb Whole-milk mozzarella -- cubed

1 Italian pinwheel sausage - plain -- cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

-- (Can use regular sausage - remove casing, cook in fry pan)

1 lb Genoa salami or Supresata -- sliced 1/4" thick, diced.

8 Hard-boiled eggs -- diced

8 Pie crust - deep dish -- 4 will be used for upper crust

1 Egg wash (1 Egg - beaten w/2 T. water)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Thaw pie shells for 15-30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl (I use a Kitchen Aide mixer) add ricotta and grated cheese - mix well Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add mozzarella, pinwheel sausage, and salami - mix well. Fold in hard-boiled eggs.

Divide filling among 4 pie shells. Cut the crimped edges off the remaining shells and invert over each filled pie shell. Be sure to cover all of filling. Cut 8 slits in each top crust. Brush crust with egg wash.

Place in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Lower temperature to 325 and cook for 45 minutes more.

Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate.

NOTES : The pie will taste salty straight from the oven. Flavors need time to mellow. Tastes best when cooled and refrigerated for 24 hours.