Delicious Recipes

Neapolitan Pastiera

in cucina con pina

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in

Neapolitan Pastiera all the way, don’t tell me it’s too early to make it. Of course, I won’t be caught unprepared. This isn’t an easy or beautiful time, but we’ll recover, and this will help us appreciate life and beautiful things more, so let’s get to work. Naturally, the aroma that spreads throughout the house is what I like most when baking. Surely an essential and indispensable element for the preparation of this dessert are the orange blossoms. The pastiera, a quintessential Neapolitan cake, is known worldwide. Easter is when the pastiera is mainly prepared, even though today we find it in all pastry shops and at any time of the year. A characteristic dessert of the period that coincides with the beginning of spring. Rich in scents like the orange blossom, flower of citrus trees, and not by chance we find it in the pastiera along with other ingredients. Together, of course, the ingredients all contribute to the final sweetness and beauty of the Neapolitan pastiera..

  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Cost: Medium
  • Preparation time: 1 Hour
  • Portions: 12
  • Cooking methods: Oven
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Seasonality: Easter, All Seasons
502.87 Kcal
calories per serving
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  • Energy 502.87 (Kcal)
  • Carbohydrates 72.71 (g) of which sugars 53.18 (g)
  • Proteins 11.23 (g)
  • Fat 20.22 (g) of which saturated 11.62 (g)of which unsaturated 8.32 (g)
  • Fibers 1.55 (g)
  • Sodium 117.57 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 150 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 needed to prepare Neapolitan pastiera

Shortcrust pastry

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • as needed lemon zest
  • 1 1/4 cups cooked wheat
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp lard
  • 1 1/2 cups sheep's ricotta
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 vials orange blossom water (small vials)
  • 4 1/4 oz candied orange
  • 1 cup cup milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 slice lemon peel

Necessary tools to prepare Neapolitan Pastiera

  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking Pan 30 cm round
  • Pan
  • Sieve
  • Small Pot
  • Pastry Board
  • Fluted Pastry Cutter

Preparation of Neapolitan Pastiera

  • Put the milk in a small pot and add the wheat with the peel of an orange and a lemon, a tablespoon of lard, and bring to a boil until it turns into a cream. Naturally, the wheat must absorb all the milk.

  • When the wheat has become a cream and has cooled, add the ricotta passed through a sieve. Beat the eggs with the sugar and add them along with the candied orange and the orange blossom vial to the creamy mixture.

  • Prepare the custard with two egg yolks, the flour with the sugar, and 250 ml of milk (find the complete recipe HERE in the blue link). Add the custard to the rest of the batter.

  • For the shortcrust pastry, find the complete recipe in the blue link or HERE. I still prepare it like this: I mix flour and sugar with the butter, add the egg yolks and the grated lemon zest, and knead quickly. I roll it out with the rolling pin after letting it rest, and line a shallow 30 cm baking pan.

  • Pour all the creamy mixture into the pastry shell.

  • Prepare the shortcrust pastry strips and apply them to the pastiera in a criss-cross pattern. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 60 minutes.

  • Here is the ready Neapolitan pastiera!

Author image

in cucina con pina

My name is Pina, and my passion is food and cooking in general. On the blog, I focus on regional dishes like those from my birthplace, Sicily. I also feature dishes from Lazio, the region that has hosted me for over 40 years, but in general, I cover all Italian regions. Traveling and exploring is my second passion, so I couldn't leave out dishes from around the "World" on my blog. My blog is divided into simple and essential sections like appetizers, first courses, main courses, side dishes, bread and leavened products, jams and preserves, wines and wineries, and of course, travels. Desserts are included, and finally, there is a dedicated corner for gluten-free options. Easy recipes, explained step by step and always updated.

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