With the arrival of Easter, Neapolitan pastiera is prepared in all homes, a dessert rich in its filling, with an intense aroma.
And who doesn’t know Neapolitan Pastiera?
It’s impossible to find someone who has never tasted it or at least heard of it, but just in case, here’s a brief description of the dessert:
A shell of crumbly shortcrust pastry, with a rich filling made of ricotta and wheat, flavored with candied citron cubes and orange blossom aroma.
During baking, imagine the intoxicating aroma that will fill your home!
Everyone has a variant of the recipe: some use orange blossom water as the aroma, others use millefiore.
Some replace the candied fruit with chocolate chips, while others add custard to the wheat.
A particular tradition common to all variants: the 7 strips of shortcrust pastry on top, forming diamonds.
According to an ancient legend, they represent the 3 Decumani and the 4 Cardini of the ancient Greek city.
Another story about the 7 strips suggests that the number is defined by the ingredients contained in it: flour, eggs, wheat, ricotta, orange blossom water, spices, and sugar.
- Portions: 2 pastiere of 9-9.5 inches diameter
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
The quantities indicated are for two pastiere with a diameter of 9-9.5 inches
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 packet vanillin
- 20.5 oz cooked wheat
- 3.5 tbsps butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1.5 lbs mixed ricotta cheese
- 2.25 cups sugar
- 3 whole eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1.5 tbsps orange blossom aroma
- 3.5 oz candied citron cubes
- 2 packets vanillin
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed powdered sugar (for decoration)
Steps
To prepare the pastiera, let’s start with the shortcrust pastry.
If you have a food processor or blender, pour in the flour and the butter cut into cubes and start to mix the two ingredients.
Pour the mixture onto the work surface.
Create a well in the center with your fingers and add the rest of the ingredients: sugar, eggs, and vanillin.
Knead.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to rest for an hour.
In the meantime, we can prepare the filling of the pastiera.
Place a saucepan on the heat and pour in: cooked wheat, milk, butter, and a pinch of salt.
Mix everything together and cook for about 15 minutes.
Let it cool.
In a bowl, pour the ricotta and mash it with a fork.
Add the sugar and mix.
Beat the eggs with a fork and incorporate them into the ricotta, mixing well to blend the ingredients.
Add the orange blossom water, citron cubes, and vanillin.
Finish by incorporating everything into the cooled wheat.
Take the shortcrust pastry from the fridge.
Roll it out with the rolling pin between a sheet of parchment paper below and plastic wrap above.
Remember to set aside enough dough to make the strips.
Butter the high edges of the molds.
Place the pastry inside and prick it with a fork.
Pour the previously prepared filling inside, filling almost to the edge.
Complete by rolling out the reserved dough to make 7 strips.
Arrange them on top to form diamonds.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for one hour.
Remove from the oven, let cool, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
The Neapolitan pastiera is a symbol of Peace, rebirth, and serenity.
