If you love the traditional Neapolitan Pastiera like I do but are looking for a fun and playful alternative, I’ll show you how to make Mini Neapolitan Pastiere that keep all the flavor of the tradition. These little pastierine are perfect to serve as a sweet treat or on a buffet at Easter or any celebration you prefer.
The queen of Easter in Naples is she: the Pastiera! I mean, of course, the traditional Neapolitan Pastiera, but I was looking for an alternative way to serve it at my gatherings, so I created this mini version, little tarts that will win you over.
This is definitely a more elaborate and time-consuming pastry, but it will be worth it.
Write everything down, follow the steps, and you’ll have fragrant and tasty Mini Neapolitan Pastiere in simple steps.
TRY ALSO:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Easter, Spring, Summer
Ingredients for the mini Neapolitan pastiere
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 1/2 tbsp butter (soft, about 2.8 oz)
- 2 eggs (small)
- pinch salt
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- Half orange (zest, grated)
- Half lemon (zest, grated)
- cup cooked wheat (grano cotto) (about 200 g / 7 oz)
- 1/2 cup milk (about 120 ml)
- 1 tbsp butter (about 15 g (1 tbsp))
- Half orange (whole peel)
- Half lemon (whole peel)
- 1 cup sheep ricotta (about 250 g (8.8 oz))
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (about 150 g)
- 2 eggs (medium)
- to taste ground cinnamon
- to taste orange blossom water
- 1 tbsp limoncello
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools for the Mini Neapolitan Pastiere
- 1 Stampo per muffin stampo per muffin
- 1 Coltello coltello da cucina
- 2 Ciotole ciotole trasparenti
- 1 Casseruola casseruola
Steps for the Mini Neapolitan Pastiere
– The first thing to do is marinate the ricotta with the sugar. This way the sugar will dissolve perfectly and make everything tastier. So put the ricotta (better if sieved) and the sugar in a bowl and mix well. Cover and set aside.
– Let’s prepare the shortcrust pastry (I use a stand mixer, but the steps are the same by hand).
Mix soft butter with the sugar. Add the eggs, salt, grated zest and fold in the flour. Work until you obtain a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least half an hour (preferably 45 minutes).– Now for the Wheat Cream. Bring all the ingredients to medium heat and stir with a spoon or a whisk until just about to boil. Never let the milk boil. Lower the heat or remove from the heat if necessary. Cook about 10 minutes or until the cream becomes nice and thick.
Remove from heat, discard the peels now and use an immersion blender to puree just part of the wheat. This way it will incorporate perfectly with the ricotta afterward, but you will still feel the texture of the wheat.
Let it cool in its saucepan.– Meanwhile retrieve the marinated ricotta. Add the rest of the ingredients, whisking and incorporating the eggs one at a time. Keep in the fridge while you wait for the wheat cream to cool so you can add it.
– Take your muffin tin and grease it or use cooking spray. Roll out the shortcrust pastry and line the tin.
– Combine the wheat cream and ricotta cream well with a spatula. You can now add this filling to the shortcrust shells.
Cover the little pastiere with small strips of shortcrust pastry. Four strips per tart are enough.
Generally, bake in the oven at 356°F for 40-45 minutes (depends on the oven).
I slightly preheat the oven and bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes. Then I turn off the oven and leave them inside for another 5 minutes.Before serving, I recommend leaving the Mini Pastiere out of the oven for at least 5 hours.
Variations compared to the traditional Neapolitan pastiera
– In this recipe I omitted the candied fruit in the ricotta cream. Since these are meant as small pastries, I wanted to keep the final flavor more delicate. You can of course add candied citron if you like.
– In this version the shortcrust pastry is made with only butter, no lard. I did this because, having to line the muffin tin with small pastry shells, it is easier to roll out than dough made with lard. If you prefer, you can halve the butter amount and replace the other half with lard.
Questions and Answers
How long should mini Neapolitan pastierine rest before being eaten?
The ideal way to enjoy these pastierine is to let them rest at least 5 or 6 hours after you take them out of the oven. Remember to dust them with powdered sugar.
Can I add candied fruit to the filling?
Certainly. In my version I omitted candied citron and other candied fruit to keep the mini pastiere more delicate in flavor. But you can absolutely add candied citron or other candied fruit to the ricotta cream before adding the wheat.
