The Neapolitan pastiera is an Easter cake typical of the Campania tradition made of a shortcrust pastry shell and a rich, delicious filling based on cooked wheat, ricotta and citrus.
The preparation is simple even if a bit lengthy, but the result is absolutely stunning.
Besides the classic version there is a variant prepared in many Campanian areas but best known in Benevento and Salerno, the rice pastiera. In that recipe, as you may have guessed, rice replaces the wheat. In addition to the traditional recipe I created two delightful variations by modifying the base recipe: the lemon rice pastiera and the chocolate rice pastiera.
Although the traditional recipe of the pastiera calls for certain ingredients, there are many variants: every family has a recipe passed down from generation to generation and guarded jealously.
The recipe I propose is the result of several tests and I am absolutely satisfied. Besides the cooked wheat, ricotta and citrus, I added some baked pastry cream to the filling, inspired by the version of Sal de Riso. I must say that adding pastry cream gives the final product a softer texture and a more delicate flavor which, in my opinion, is much more pleasant than the version with only ricotta.
If you want to prepare the classic recipe without pastry cream you can omit it: increase the sugar by 60 g and add 100 g of ricotta.
By tradition the Neapolitan pastiera is prepared on Maundy Thursday, left to rest for a couple of days and served on Easter Sunday; the resting time improves the flavor.
Try also the other Easter desserts
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Minute
- Cooking time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
- Portions: 14 servings
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter
- Energy 252.58 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 35.63 (g) of which sugars 22.19 (g)
- Proteins 5.96 (g)
- Fat 10.33 (g) of which saturated 6.37 (g)of which unsaturated 3.82 (g)
- Fibers 0.93 (g)
- Sodium 64.56 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
If you want to prepare the classic recipe without pastry cream you can omit it: increase the sugar by 60 g and add 100 g of ricotta.
- 3 1/6 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 11 tbsp butter (or about 9 tbsp (4.6 oz) lard)
- 7/8 cup granulated sugar
- 2 pieces eggs (medium)
- 2 pieces egg yolks
- 7 tbsp granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp 00 flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 3/4 cups cooked wheat (for pastiera)
- 1 2/3 cups sheep ricotta
- 7/8 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 piece vanilla bean
- orange zest (you need the zest of 2 unwaxed oranges)
- lemon zest (you need the zest of 2 unwaxed lemons)
- 2 tbsp orange blossom water (about 1 fl oz)
- 1/2 cup candied fruit (cut into small cubes)
- 5 pieces eggs (medium)
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp butter
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 2 Saucepans
- Plastic wrap
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Rolling pin
- 3 Bowls
- 1 Springform / Tart pan for pastiera 10 1/4–11 in diameter
Procedure
Pour the flour onto a work surface and make the classic well. Add the eggs in the center, the sugar, the butter cut into cubes and the lemon zest. Mix quickly until you obtain a homogeneous dough, then place it in the fridge to firm up for at least 1 hour.
If you prefer, you can also prepare it the day before.
In a bowl whisk the yolks with the sugar, add the flour incorporating it well and the milk at room temperature, mix and put on the heat to thicken. Turn off and let cool.
The cream will be very thick, don’t worry — it should be like that. I did not add extra flavorings because the pastiera already contains enough aroma.
Put the cooked wheat in a saucepan with the milk, 1 1/2 tbsp of butter, the zest of one lemon and one orange cut into pieces. Bring to a boil and cook for 12–13 minutes. Turn off and let cool. Remove the citrus peels.
In a bowl mix the ricotta with the sugar, add the cooked wheat and the pastry cream and incorporate.
As soon as the ingredients are well combined, add five eggs (better if you add them one at a time), the seeds from the vanilla bean, the orange blossom water, the grated zest of one lemon, the grated zest of one orange and the candied fruit cut into cubes.
The filling is ready; it should be smooth and without lumps. If you like, you can also prepare it the day before and keep it in the fridge — it will be even more aromatic.
Butter a pastiera pan (about 10 1/4–11 in diameter) and line it with the shortcrust pastry, pour in the filling and decorate with strips of dough (by tradition it’s said only seven crossing strips should be placed, but according to some research this is a web legend that appeared less than 7 years ago).
Bake the pastiera in a hot preheated oven at 356°F for 60–70 minutes, placing it on the lower rack. If desired, you can make 2 smaller tarts using disposable aluminum pans of about 8–8 2/3 in and bake them for about 45 minutes at the same temperature. Remove from the oven and let cool until the next day.
The Neapolitan pastiera is ready to enjoy.
Tips
Storage
The pastiera, by tradition, is prepared on Maundy Thursday and brought to the table on Easter Sunday. The resting days make the filling even more tasty and flavorful. For these 2–3 days it can be kept at room temperature. After Easter, if there are leftovers, store it in the refrigerator because the egg-and-ricotta filling can spoil in the heat.
If you want to prepare the classic recipe without pastry cream you can omit it: increase the sugar by 60 g and add 100 g of ricotta.
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