📋Pastiera Napoletana Recipe (Easter Ricotta Pie)

📋Pastiera Napoletana Recipe (Easter Ricotta Pie)

Pastiera Napoletana is a ricotta pie typically baked for Easter. The filling is made with wheat mixed with ricotta and has a distinctive flavor of the flower orange water and lemon zest.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword italian dessert, pastiera, ricottapie

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 20

Total Time 1 35

Servings people

Calories 802kcal

Author Laura Tobin

Equipment

Ingredients

Shortcrust pastry

⅔ cup butter at room temperature
4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3 fresh eggs
2 teaspoon baking powder

Preaparing the Wheat

20.5 oz wheat for pastiera read the article above
1 tablespoon caster sugar
2 tablespoon butter
½ cup milk
1 lemon zest

For the filling

1 lb ricotta
¾ cup caster sugar
5 egg yolk
4 egg white
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
candied fruits or chocolate chips

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing the Wheat

Bring to boil the wheat with sugar, butter, the milk and the lemon zest
20.5 oz wheat for pastiera, 1 tablespoon caster sugar, 2 tablespoon butter, ½ cup milk, 1 lemon zest
Simmer for 10 minutes
Move it into a bowl and let it cool down at room temperature

Preparing the pastry

First mix all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, and baking powder
4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoon baking powder
Then add all the wet ingredients and mix until the dough is formed
⅔ cup butter, 3 fresh eggs
Put the dough on a well-floured surface and cut ⅓. Keep ⅓ of the pastry aside for the top
Roll the rest of the pastry to make the base of the pie
Butter and flour the baking pan

Preparing the base

Lay the base of the pie on the baking pan
Trim the edges
Pierce the pastry with a fork
Store in the fridge until the filling is ready

Preparing the top of the pie

Cut the remaining pastry into 8 parts
Remove the two ends
Make 6 strips with each part. The 2 strips in the middle should be slightly longer
Keep the rest of the dough aside

Finishing the filling

Add all the ingredients for the filling to the wheat (not the egg whites)
1 lb ricotta, ¾ cup caster sugar, 5 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, candied fruits
Stir until it is all blended
Whisk the egg whites until firm
4 egg white
Gradually and gently add the egg whites to the filling mixture

Finishing up the pie

Pour the filling over the pastry base
Cover with the crisscrossing pattern of strips, trim the edges
With the remaining dough make a long strip
Place it all around the top of the pie
With a fork seal the edges
Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180C for 1 hour
Let it cool down completely before removing it from the pan and serve it
Serve at room temperature or cold. Store in the fridge

Video

Notes

Buy the right ingredients, do not substitute the wheat, and do not try to make it yourself, it will not be the same thing
Get a good fresh ricotta brand
If you cannot find sheep ricotta you can use all cow ricotta
Keep the pastry cold before you put it into the oven, it will make a nice crunchy crust.
As the pastry has baking powder you need to bake the pie as soon as possible. The pastry cannot rest for hours.
Let it cool down completely before removing it from the pan and serving it
Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days

Nutrition