The pasta pastiera is a variation of the classic wheat pastiera prepared in Naples during Easter.
My city, Torre del Greco, claims its origin even though it was never customary in my family to prepare it, something that my mother-in-law did systematically every year, specifically on the Thursday before Easter Sunday.
Its preparation is decidedly quicker and less laborious than the classic pastiera. It is, in fact, the perfect recipe for those who do not feel like tackling an elaborate cake like the wheat pastiera but do not want to give up on tradition and the exhilarating and characteristic aroma due to the presence of orange blossoms in the dough.
A characteristic of this pastiera is the use of capellini as the pasta type, which cooks in a few minutes and, having a very thin section, blends perfectly with the mixture of eggs and sugar and milk.
But now take a minute to read the recipe and then…let’s cook and eat!!
See also
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economic
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz capellini
- 2 cups milk
- 14 oz sugar (plus more for the mold)
- 6 eggs
- 1 vial orange blossom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 orange zest (grated)
- to taste candied citron (optional)
- to taste lard (for the mold)
- to taste powdered sugar (for the surface)
Tools
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 Fork
- 1 Mold for pastiera 10-inch
Steps
To prepare the pasta pastiera, first cook the capellini in slightly salted water for the time indicated on the package, referring to an al dente cook.
Once cooked, drain them well and let them cool in a bowl with cold milk.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, gather the sugar and eggs and mix everything with the help of a fork. Then add the aromas: the vial of orange blossom, the grated lemon zest, the vanillin, and the cinnamon. Mix again so that the aromas dissolve into the egg and sugar mixture. At this stage, you can also add candied citron or candied orange zest if you like.
Now add the mixture to the pasta and milk and mix well.
Grease with lard the bottom and sides of a 10-inch pastiera mold and sprinkle it with granulated sugar. Finally, transfer the pasta, egg, sugar, and milk mixture into the mold and level the surface well.
Bake the pasta pastiera in a preheated static oven at 392°F for 50-60 minutes,
always performing the toothpick test before removing it from the oven.
Once cooled, sprinkle the surface with a light layer of powdered sugar.
