Pastiera Napoletana Recipe

5 from 90 votes

Find more recipes at marcellinaincucina.com

This is a traditional Italian pie baked during Holy Week to celebrate Easter. Said to have been invented in Naples but is now found on the Easter lunch table throughout Italy.

Prep Time45

Cook Time50

Cooling time30

Total Time2 5

Servings: servings

Author: Marcellina

Ingredients

Grano Cotto

10 ounces (280 grams) grano cotto (See Note 1)
¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk
strip of lemon zest ((about 3 inches (7.5cm) long))

Pastry Dough (Pasta Frolla)

2¼ cups (290 grams) all purpose (plain) flour (( plus extra for dusting) See Note 2)
5 ounces (140 grams) cold unsalted butter ( chopped (1 ¼ sticks))
½ cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Filling

16 ounces (450 grams) whole milk ricotta cheese (See Note 3)
1 cup (200 grams) white granulated sugar
3 eggs
⅔ cup chopped mixed Italian candied fruit (See Note 4)
1 tablespoon orange blossom water (orange flower water)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

For the Grano Cotto

Place the grano cotto, milk and strip of lemon zest in a saucepan and cook gently over a low heat stirring regularly, for about 30 minutes or until the mixture is thick and creamy. Spread out onto a plate to cool.
10 ounces (280 grams) grano cotto, strip of lemon zest, ¾ cup (180 ml) whole milk

For the Pastry Dough (Pasta Frolla) - using a food processor

Place the all purpose flour, butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt in the food processor bowl. Pulse until crumbly.
2¼ cups (290 grams) all purpose (plain) flour, 5 ounces (140 grams) cold unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar, 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, pinch of salt
Then add the egg and egg yolk and process until the mixture gathers into a ball. If the dough is too dry, add a squeeze of lemon juice or a few drops of chilled water to bring the dough together.
1 egg, 1 egg yolk
Remove from the bowl, flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the filling.

For the Filling

In a large bowl, beat the ricotta and sugar with an electric mixer or by hand until smooth and creamy.
16 ounces (450 grams) whole milk ricotta cheese, 1 cup (200 grams) white granulated sugar
Add eggs, candied fruit, orange blossom water, vanilla extract and cinnamon (if using). Mix well.
⅔ cup chopped mixed Italian candied fruit, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Finally add cooled grano cotto mixture and beat gently to combine. Set aside while you roll out the dough.

To Assemble and Bake

Heat the oven to 375°F/180°C.
Butter and line the base of a 9inch/22.5cm springform cake pan or high sided pie pan.
Remove the pastry dough from refrigerator and divide into two pieces - ¾ and ¼. Take the larger piece. Press it down to flatten and form a rough circle. Dust the pastry lightly with flour.
Roll out the larger piece between two pieces of nonstick parchment until large enough to fit the base and sides of the prepared pan. If the pastry is sticking, dust it with a little more flour. The pastry will only need to reach about 2 inches (5 centimeters) up the sides of the 9 inch (23-centimeter) springform cake pan.
Carefully wind the pastry around the rolling pin, then unroll into the prepared pan. Carefully lift and ease the pastry into to line the base and up the sides. Just patch any tears or holes - this pastry is very forgiving.
Scrape in the ricotta mixture and level. Cut away any excess dough just above the filling and reserve the pastry dough.
Press the remaining dough together with the excess then roll out between two pieces of nonstick parchment. Cut into strips to fit the top of the tart. You'll need 7 strips - 4 in one direction and 3 in the opposite direction.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes until golden brown. It may take longer to become golden brown, depending on your oven. The pastiera will puff slightly and will have browned on the surface.
Allow to cool completely. It will flatten on the surface as it cools.
The pastiera can be served at room temperature or chilled. Dust with powdered (icing) sugar before serving.
Pastiera will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Notes

Grano cotto is cooked wheat that you can buy in jars or cans from Italian import stores.
- If you can't find grano cotto, substitute it with this cooked rice "pudding". In a medium saucepan, boil ¾ cup of arborio rice, 2 cups of whole milk, and a strip of lemon zest. Once boiling, turn the heat to simmer until the rice is creamy, thick and tender. Stir regularly. Discard the lemon peel, scrape onto a plate, and cool completely before adding to the beaten sugar and ricotta mixture in Step 3 under "Filling".
- I have also tested the recipe using up to double the amount of grano cotto (if you want to use the whole jar). To do this, add an extra 1/2 cup of milk when cooking the grano cotto. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Make sure to measure the flour accurately by loosening it with a stir, then carefully spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
Drain the ricotta cheese overnight if it's watery. Make homemade ricotta cheese with my easy recipe.
For the Italian candied fruit, you can use just one type or a mixture. I usually use a mixture candied citron and candied orange peel or slices. Substitute 2 or 3 teaspoons of finely grated orange zest if you can't find or don't like candied fruit.

Tips for success

Plan ahead and make the grano cotto and dough in advance
Gather all the ingredients before you start so that you’re not going back and forth to the fridge or pantry.
No food processor? No problem! Check the instructions above for how to make by hand.
Keep the pastry chilled for easier handling. If it's too soft to handle, pop it back into the fridge for 10 minutes or so.

Read "Variations" above for alternative to grano cotto. Further information can be found this the post above.

Nutrition