Pastiera Italian Easter Pie Recipes

PASTIERA (ITALIAN EASTER TART)

Steps:

• Combine cooked wheat berries, milk, butter, and zest of 1 lemon in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease an 11-inch springform pan or aluminum pan and line with one of the pastry crusts.
• Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, 1 tablespoon orange flower water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor; mix until smooth. Mix in remaining lemon zest and orange peel. Fold in wheat berry mixture and pour over the bottom crust.
• Roll out remaining pastry crust and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place on top of the pie in a lattice pattern and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is cooked through and top is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for about 30 minutes.
• Remove pie carefully from the pan and place on a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

MARIA'S EASTER (WHEAT) PIE/"PASTIERA DI GRANO"

Steps:

• ***PreparingThe Wheat: If"soaked" or"precooked" wheat is not available, dry wheat may be used.
• Cover the dry wheat with cold water (water should be about 2 inches over the wheat) and boil it for 15 minutes or until the wheat berries crack open.
• Remove pan from heat and allow wheat to soak for a full 24 hours.
• After soaking, drain well before using in steps#17-19.
• If"soaked"/"precooked" wheat is used, add the wheat to a pan of boiling water and cook it for about 5-10 minutes (most of the wheat berries should be open and they should be chewy but tender).
• Drain well, let cool and use for steps#17-19.
• Crust: Mix flour, sugar and lemon peel together in a bowl.
• Work butter into flour using your fingers (until it is the size of peas).
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.
• Knead the dough lightly until it holds together well and clears the bowl.
• Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill it for about 1/2- 1 hour before using.
• Cream: Fill the bottom of a double boiler with enough water so that its insert doesn't quite touch the water; bring the water to a boil.
• Mix the whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon peel and citron together in the insert of the double boiler which has been set in to the bottom pan.
• Cook the"cream," stirring constantly until it has thickened and is the consistency of a thick pudding (about 20-30 minutes).
• Remove the insert from the boiling water and set aside to allow the"cream" to cool, stir occasionally to keep a skin from forming.
• Note: I sometimes put the insert pan with the"cream" mixture into a bowl of very cold water, to help it cool down faster, don't forget to stir it.
• Wheat: Add the (cooked, soaked, well drained) wheat to a saucepan with the milk and butter.
• Cook the wheat mixture, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, and mixture starts to boil; boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Prepare Pans: On a lightly floured board, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the bottom and sides of two lightly buttered 9-inch glass cake pans.
• Leave a 1/2 inch overhang of dough if you are going to use the lattice top.
• If not using the lattice, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch.
• Re-roll scraps and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips to use as a lattice top for the pie.
• (If you prefer, the lattice can be omitted.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Ricotta Filling: Mix ricotta, eggs, sugar and lemon peel together in a large bowl.
• Beat mixture by hand, with a wooden spoon, until smooth and creamy.
• Add the"cream" mixture and the wheat mixture to the ricotta filling, stirring until all is well blended.
• Pour or ladle the filling into prepared pans (to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pan).
• For The Lattice: place the strips of dough across the filling, spaced about 1 inch apart (at right angles) forming a lattice top.
• Fold the 1/2 inch overhang over the edges of the lattice and flute well.
• If not making the lattice top, fold the 1/4 inch overhang on to itself, and lightly flute.
• Bake pies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bottom of the crust is light brown, the center is set, and the top of the pies are golden.
• Turn off oven and let the pies cool for an hour in the oven with the oven door slightly (about 2 inches) ajar.
• Remove pies from oven and place on a wire rack.
• When completely cooled, cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until serving.
• If you like, you can give the pie tops a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.
• Note: Its best to served this pie directly from the pan, as trying to plate the whole pie is more trouble than its worth, and causes breakage.

NEAPOLITAN EASTER PIE

Steps:

• Vanilla Pastry Cream:Bring milk and vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand 20 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add milk mixture in a slow, steady stream and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
• Whisking constantly, slowly pour one-third of milk mixture into egg yolks. Pour mixture into remaining milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, pressing directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled and firm, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Whisk to soften slightly just before using.
• Crust:In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in orange zest. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour mixture.
• Divide dough into 2 disks, one larger (approximately two-thirds of dough) and one smaller. Press each piece into a disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 1 day.
• Filling:Place wheat berries in a medium bowl. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Refrigerate overnight.
• Drain wheat berries, and transfer to a medium saucepan with milk, water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain, and spread on a baking sheet. Let cool about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta and sugar. Add cooled wheat berries and pastry cream. Stir to combine.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger piece of dough to a 14-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 10-by-2-inch springform pan. Pour filling into shell. Trim excess dough to 1/2 inch above filling. Roll out remaining piece of dough, 1/8 inch thick. With a pastry wheel, cut into twelve 3/4-inch strips. Weave strips into a lattice over filling; trim lattice flush with edge of dough.
• Lightly beat egg and brush evenly over top of pie. Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 60 to 90 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool 20 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edge to gently loosen pie. Remove outer ring from springform pan. Let pie cool completely. Serve.

PASTIERA NAPOLETANA: ITALIAN EASTER GRAIN PIE

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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!

PASTIERA (ITALIAN EASTER PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat until well blended. Beat in the sugar, then stir in the ricotta, lemon juice and rind until thoroughly incorporated.
• Add the cream and stir until smooth and creamy. Fold in the rice, then stir in the cinnamon. Pour the filling into the pie crust.
• Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is nicely browned (45-60 minutes). Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.