If you like Italian Easter desserts made with ricotta, you will love this recipe for pastiera Napoletana. This traditional Easter grain pie from Naples tastes best when you let it rest a few days for the flavors to develop making it the perfect make-ahead dessert for a crowd.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Wait time 4 daysdays
Total Time 4 daysdays2 hourshours45 minutesminutes
Place the pre-cooked wheat berries (grano cotto) in a small saucepan.
Add the milk, butter, and lemon peel.
Over medium heat, bring to a gentle simmer and stir frequently for 10-15 minutes until most of the milk is absorbed and the mixture reassembles a creamy oatmeal-like mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to come to room temperature.
Then, refrigerate for up to 24 hours before using the following day.
To make the ricotta filling:
A few hours before you plan on mixing the ingredients to make the ricotta cheese filling, place the fresh ricotta in a strainer lined with cheesecloth. This will help remove any excess moisture from the cheese.
While waiting, prepare the citrus sugar by rubbing together the lemon and orange zest with the granulated sugar. Set aside for now.
When you are ready to combine the ingredients, place the ricotta in a mesh strainer. Then, press the ricotta through the holes into a medium bowl with the back of a spoon.
Add the citrus sugar and with a fork, mix everything together until well blended. Taste and adjust to personnel sweetness.
Next, in a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and egg yolks together before adding them to the ricotta mixture. With a fork, combine lightly together.
Finally, add the pure vanilla extract, orange blossom water, ground cinnamon (optional), and combine. Do not overbeat.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before using the following day.
To make the pasta frolla:
Cut ½ cup of cold unsalted butter into 18 small pieces and place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
In a food processor combine the dry ingredients and pulse a few times.
Add the cut-up butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse ground meal.
Add the slightly beaten eggs and pulse until the dough comes together.
Turn out the dough on a lightly floured wooden board and form it into a smooth disc by pressing the dough together.
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimal time of 30 minutes before using it.
Step by step photos can be found in the article.
Rolling the dough:
When you are ready, grease a 10-inch (25 cm) pie plate that is 2 inches (5 cm) deep. You can also use a springform pan.
Remove a third of the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and set it aside for now. This will become the lattice top.
With a rolling pin, stretch out two-thirds of the chilled pasta frolla dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to form a 12-inch round about ⅜-inch (1 cm) thick.
Ease the dough into the 10-inch (25 cm) greased pie plate, being sure to press it into the bottom and up the sides to remove any air bubbles.
Trim the excess dough even with the rim of the pan. Chill it for 1 hour.
Combine the trimmed pastry dough scraps with the remaining dough (one-third). Roll it out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper to form a 10-inch round about ⅜-inch (1 cm) thick.
With a fluted pastry wheel, cut 7 long strips each about one inch wide. These lattice strips will create the criss-cross diamond pattern on our traditional Easter cake. Chill them for at least 1 hour until needed.
To assemble and bake the pastiera:
Preheat your oven to 325° F (165 °C). Place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
Prepare a simple egg wash for brushing the dough by whisking together one whole egg with a teaspoon of milk in a small bowl. Set this aside until you are ready to use it.
Remove the lemon peel from the grain mixture. Then, combine the ricotta and grain mixture in a large mixing bowl.
If using, add 1 tablespoon of chopped candied orange peel.
Use a hand-held blender and pulse gently 5-7 times to help blend the mixture. This will create a smoother pastiera filling.
Remove the pastry shell from the refrigerator and pour this mixture into the prepared crust.
Remove the pastry strips from the refrigerator.
Brush each strip with the egg wash before placing it on the top of the ricotta filling. Brush the inside rim of the dough in the tart pan as well.
Place four strips gently on the filling and equally distanced from each other. This will form the bottom layer of the lattice top.
Then, place one strip across the center of the pie, touching the ends of the outer strips previously placed on the filling. Then, place two more strips gently on the filling parallel to the center, creating a diamond-shaped lattice pattern.
Trim the excess dough from the strips. Fold over the dough of the bottom pastry crust over the top strips of dough, gently pressing it down.
Bake pastiera in a preheated oven for about 80-90 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is firm to the touch but is still jiggly. If you find that your pastiera is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil during baking to prevent it from burning.
Once pastiera is baked, turn off the oven and leave the oven door ajar. Leave the pastiera in the oven for about 15 minutes, Then, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Cover loosely with a clean tea towel and store in a cool dry place, at room temperature, for at least 2 days before serving.
When you are ready to serve pastiera, lightly dust with powdered sugar. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Notes
The recipe will yield one 10-inch pie with a lattice top. A serving size is 1/12 of the pie.
It's critical to remove as much moisture from the ricotta as possible. Place it in a cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl and let it drain for a few hours or ideally overnight in the fridge. Be sure to cover it well with plastic wrap to prevent the top from drying.
If you can't find grano cotto (cooked grain), you can substitute it with barley cooked according to package instructions.
Avoid overcooking your pastiera. When the center is slightly jiggly and the crust is golden brown it is done. As it cools off, it will set.
Pastiera is best enjoyed after a day or two, as this will give the flavors time to meld together.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.