Grandma’s Pastiera recipe with custard. Grandma Lina’s recipe, it’s a variation of the classic Neapolitan pastiera. It’s a typical Neapolitan dessert that cannot be missed at Easter.
It’s a symbol of Neapolitan pastry like babà and sfogliatella, and there are fundamental rules to follow to achieve a good result.
To make the perfect Neapolitan pastiera you need:

The ricotta must be of excellent quality, buy the dry and firm sheep ricotta which is richer in fat and will make the inside creamier.

Prepare the pastiera in advance, 3 days before because resting will allow the flavors to blend well. This maturation phase will make it softer and more fragrant.

Use good quality aromas, and nice juicy and soft candied fruits, which thanks to the high sugar content will increase the shelf life of this dessert.
Use a tapered mold about 2 inches high. The height of the pan allows for a moist pastiera that is not too dry inside.

The cooking must be sweet and slow, 320°F for about 1 hour and 40 minutes is the optimal time, it must “take on” a nice caramel color. After cooking, let it rest in the ajar oven for about 10 minutes.

Once cold, sprinkle it with powdered sugar and store it in a cool place for 2-3 days before consuming it. The surface after resting will be beautiful and shiny and will emit the typical scent.
You will have understood that to make the wheat pastiera it is important to start from high-quality raw materials because together with the right recipe they guarantee the optimal result.

For me, the right recipe, the one I rely on every year, is the one left by my mother-in-law Lina, a woman I respect and who has revealed to me many little secrets to making this dessert that I love so much.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economic
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 12People
Cooking methods: Electric oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Easter

425.69 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 425.69 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 64.48 (g) of which sugars 43.41 (g)
Proteins 10.51 (g)
Fat 15.44 (g) of which saturated 9.34 (g)of which unsaturated 5.75 (g)
Fibers 1.44 (g)
Sodium 212.96 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 130 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

Grandma’s Pastiera recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tbsp butter (or lard)
1 egg (medium)
1/2 cup sugar
to taste lemon (grated zest)
Half packet baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs (whole)
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
to taste lemon (zest)
350 g cooked wheat
1 cup milk
to taste orange (zest)
to taste lemon (zest)
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups sugar (30 for cooking the wheat and 270 for the filling)
1 cup ricotta (sheep or cow)
to taste ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 vial orange flavor
to taste orange (and lemon grated zest)

Tools

Rolling pin
Mold
Food scale
Pot
Parchment paper

Steps

Grandma’s Pastiera

Put the flour and sugar in a bowl and mix well.
Make a hole in the center and add the butter cut into pieces.
Work the butter and rub with your fingers until you see the flour and sugar mixture become like sand.
Add an egg and a pinch of salt.
Now work the dough quickly until you see large crumbs forming.
Transfer the mixture onto the pastry board and compact it quickly with your hands to form a dough.
Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to rest for at least 1/2 hour.
Meanwhile, you need to make the custard because it must cool very well.
Bring the milk to a boil with the lemon zest.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the whole eggs and sugar, then gradually add the cornstarch and mix with a whisk until the mixture is homogeneous.
As soon as the milk reaches a boil, strain it and pour it into the bowl.
Mix well until everything dissolves.
Now pour it into a clean double-bottomed pot, put it on the stove.
Stir continuously during cooking to prevent it from sticking to the bottom or burning.
Once boiling, cook for another 2 minutes.
When the cream has reached a certain thickness, transfer it to a glass baking dish and cover it with plastic wrap, placing it in contact with the cream.
Put the wheat in a pot with the milk, butter, vanilla, lemon, and orange peel, and 30 grams of sugar.
Cook it over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook until the milk is completely absorbed or until everything is thick and creamy.
Remove the lemon and orange peels.
Let it cool very well.
In a large bowl, work the ricotta with the sugar. (The remaining 270 grams)
Add the 3 eggs and mix.
Add the flavors: cinnamon, orange blossom, and orange flower water, and mix.
Add the cooked and cold wheat and mix. Add the zest of an orange and lemon to taste.
Now add the cold custard and mix everything well.
Divide the shortcrust pastry into two parts, one bigger for the base and the other part will be used to make the strips for decoration.
Roll one out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 3/4 mm.
Butter a pan. (24/26 cm)
Shape it and transfer the shortcrust pastry disk into the pan.
Prick the bottom and fill with the filling.
Do not fill it to the top, but leave a finger width between the edge and the filling.
Cut out strips and arrange them on the cream in a crisscross pattern.
Then bake the pastiera in a preheated oven at 340°F for at least 65/70 minutes.
Check that it is golden on the surface, otherwise, in the last minutes of cooking, raise the temperature to 355°F.
(Cooking times depend on the oven, every oven has its own stories).
Do not worry if the pastiera puffs up during baking, it’s quite normal.
It will deflate during cooling.
Let it cool well, for at least 12 hours before removing it from the mold.
On Easter day, you can dust it with powdered sugar to your taste.
Enjoy your meal.