The chocolate pastiera is the classic pastiera revisited, designed for those with a big sweet tooth and for those who do not like candied fruit or the taste of orange blossom, especially for children who prefer chocolate.
It’s an easy recipe — just follow the same steps as the classic recipe, shortcrust pastry, ricotta and cooked wheat with the addition of dark chocolate in place of candied fruit and orange blossom.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 2 pastiera pies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter, All seasons
Ingredients for the Chocolate Pastiera
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (00)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup butter (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (for desserts)
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cups ricotta
- 2 1/2 cups cooked wheat
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 eggs
- 6 oz dark chocolate
- 1 shot (about 1 fl oz) rum or Strega (Optional)
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Fluted pan
- 1 Bowl
Preparation for the Chocolate Pastiera
Let’s see how to prepare the chocolate pastiera
Start by preparing the shortcrust pastry, which should rest for half an hour in the refrigerator. In a bowl put the flour, sugar, butter at room temperature cut into pieces, the eggs, baking powder, the lemon zest and then begin to mix. When it starts to come together, transfer to a work surface and continue kneading until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the filling: first melt 5.3 oz (about 150 g) of chocolate in a bain-marie and chop the rest into small pieces. In a bowl work the ricotta with the sugar and the cooked wheat, then add the eggs and mix well with a whisk. Finally incorporate the melted chocolate and the chopped pieces into the ricotta-and-wheat cream.
Take back the shortcrust pastry and roll it out, leaving a portion aside for the strips. Then take the pan with a diameter of 9 1/2 in, butter and flour it, place the shortcrust pastry, cover the edges well and remove excess dough, then pour the filling inside.
Work the excess pastry together with the portion set aside, roll it out and cut the strips for decorating the pastiera.
Once ready, bake in a preheated oven and cook at 356°F for about 35–40 minutes or until the desired golden color is reached.
Notes
As soon as the chocolate pastiera has cooled, place it on a serving plate and dust with powdered sugar. The pastiera keeps in a closed container or simply inside the oven for 3–4 days.
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