Italian Rice Pie Food

ITALIAN RICE PIE

Steps:

• Read through all directions before starting!
• In a large bowl, add the sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, lemon zest, and cubed butter. Using your hands, cut/squeeze the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand
• In another bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and then pour into the dry sandlike mixture and stir until all of the egg has been incorporated
• Press down and form into a dough and then turn out onto counter and knead a few times until there are no dry bits remaining.
• Form into 2 flat disk shapes, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour (this makes enough for 2 pies, so you can opt to use the extra to decorate the top, or save for another pie).
• I like a thicker crust so I split the dough unevenly; that is, I use about 60% for the bottom and 40% for the top crust - no need to be too accurate just "eyeball" it when you divide the dough.
• Butter and flour an 8-inch pan. After the dough has chilled, roll it into a circle that is about 12 to 13 inches wide and then carefully transfer it over to the prepared pan and line it with the dough. Use PLENTY of flour under and on top of dough before and while rolling and also on your rolling pin. Return dough to fridge if it gets too warm or sticky.
• If the dough falls apart you can simply pinch it back together in the pan. Use plenty of flour on both sides of the dough when you are rolling out the dough to prevent sticking
• After you line the pan with the dough, you can freeze the pan with crust for an hour or so or place in fridge for at least an hour or overnight. This helps to prevent shrinkage.
• If you want to top the pie with pie crust lattice, roll out the crust using plenty of flour on both sides and the rolling pin, and cut into strips. Place strips on baking sheet or dish and chill until ready to use.
• Begin by adding the rice, milk, and lemon peel to a gentle boil over medium low heat. You MUST stir often or the mixture will definitely stick to the bottom of the pan!!
• After the rice has begun to slightly bubble, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until most of the milk has absorbed (it's okay if rice is a bit undercooked as it will keep cooking in the oven). Set aside to cool
• You can also bring to small gentle boil for 2 or 3 minutes, cover, and then remove from heat and let the rice absorb all the liquid for about 30 minutes or so.
• In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, sugar, eggs, grated lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy (I mixed by hand using a whisk)
• Once the rice mixture is cooled (to the point where it won't cook the egg in the ricotta mixture), add it to the ricotta mixture and stir to combine.
• Use the prepared pie shell from earlier step and price the dough several times all over with a fork
• Pour the rice-ricotta filling mixture into the pie shell
• If using top crust, top with second pie crust or the lattice strips and top the pie. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle sugar.
• Place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F on the center rack until the filling is set (about 50 to 60 minutes).
• Check the pie about 20 minutes and 10 minutes before finished and if crust is browning too much, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top very loosely.
• Once pie is cooled, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.
• Cool pie completely before eating and store in the refrigerator. Pie is best enjoyed at room temperature (otherwise, rice tends to harden too much).

ITALIAN RICE PIE I

Steps:

• Beat eggs in very large bowl. Add sugar, mixing well. Stir in cheese and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream and stir. Fold in cooked rice and crushed pineapple.
• Pour into a 9 x 13 inch buttered pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for one hour. Check by inserting clean knife into center. If the pie is done, knife will come out clean. Top should be golden brown. Refrigerate until thoroughly cooled.

ITALIAN RICE PIE

Steps:

• Beat eggs in very large bowl.
• Add sugar and mix well.
• Stir in cheese and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
• Add heavy cream and stir.
• Fold in cooled, cooked rice and then drained pineapple.
• Pour into a buttered 9-1/2 inch X 13-1/2 inch pain.
• Bake@325* oven for 1 hour.
• Check after 1 hour by inserting clean knife into center. Knife should come out clean and top should be golden brown.
• Refrigerate after throughly cooled.

ITALIAN RICE PIE (PASTIERA DI RISO)

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add eggs and pulse until just incorporated and dough begins to form large clumps.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, using a pastry scraper if you have one, and form into a thick log. Cut off 2/3 of the log and form into a large rectangle for the bottom of the pie. Form the remaining piece into a smaller rectangle for the top of the pie. Chill each, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Make filling:
• Bring rice and well-salted water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well.
• Whisk together 3 yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl, then whisk in cornstarch and flour until smooth (mixture will be very thick). Bring milk just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, then gradually add hot milk to yolk mixture, whisking.
• Pour custard back into saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly (custard will become very thick), then boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold, about 2 hours.
• Stir together ricotta, custard, and remaining 2 yolks, then stir in zests, cinnamon, salt, and cooked rice.
• Assemble and bake pie:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan and line the bottom with an overlapping double layer of foil, leaving 2 inches of overhang on both ends, then generously butter foil.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 15- by 11-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). If dough becomes soft, chill or freeze until firm. Remove top sheet of wax paper and invert into baking pan, fitting it into pan. Chill shell. Roll out remaining piece of dough between sheets of wax paper in same manner. Cut 12 (3/4-inch-wide) crosswise strips (you will have a little dough left over).
• Spread filling in pan and arrange 6 strips, 1 1/4 inches apart, diagonally across filling, trimming ends to fit. Arrange remaining 6 strips, 1 1/4 inches apart, diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces. Trim lattice to fit in pan, then fold outside crust down over filling to make a border. Brush pastry with beaten egg.
• Bake pie until pastry is golden and filling is puffed and set, about 1 1/2 hours, loosely covering top of pie with foil after 50 minutes to prevent over-browning. Transfer to a rack to cool. When completely cool, lift pie out of pan using foil overhang and transfer to a platter.

EASTER PIE

Steps:

• Blend 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the rice and pine nuts. Set the ricotta mixture aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly butter a 9-inch glass pie dish. Lay 1 phyllo sheet over the bottom and up the sides of the dish, allowing the phyllo to hang over the sides. Brush the phyllo with the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough, laying it in the opposite direction as the first phyllo sheet. Continue layering the remaining sheets of phyllo sheets, alternating after each layer and buttering each sheet. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the dish. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely. Brush completely with melted butter.
• Bake the pie until the phyllo is golden brown and the filling is set, about 35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over the pie and serve.

SPINACH AND RICE PIE

Steps:

• In small skillet, over medium heat, saute scallions in 1 tbsp of the butter until soft, about 3 minutes.
• Let cool slightly.
• In large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Stir in feta and cottage cheeses, dried dill, salt and scallions.
• With your hands, gently squeeze all water out of the spinach.
• Add spinach, rice and lemon to egg mixture, stirring to combine well.
• Heat oven to 350F and set out a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Melt remaining 5 tbsp butter.
• Unroll phyllo; keep covered with plastic wrap. Working quickly and carefully, remove 1 sheet and place on a clean, flat surface.
• Brush very lightly with melted butter and place in pie plate with about 2 inches of the phyllo hanging over the rim.
• Repeat with 7 more sheets, arranging them around the pie plate in an overlapping pattern with a 2-inch overhang.
• Scrape spinach filling into pie plate, smoothing the top.
• Brush butter over 1 phyllo sheet, fold it in half and place it on top of the filling.
• Repeat with a second sheet.
• Gentliy lift the overhanging phyllo over the top to encase the pie.
• Lightly brush the top with any remaining butter.
• Bake at 350F for 50 minutes or until filling reaches 160F and crust is golden.

ITALIAN EASTER RICE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 350 degrees and line 2 9" Pie Pans with the crusts, refrigerate and reserve.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix the next 6 ingredients with a large spoon until thoroughly combined (no electric mixers here, it'll ruin the rice).
• Divide filling between 4 prepared pie crusts, sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Bake about 45 minutes or until filling is set in the middle (no longer giggling).
• Allow to cool completely before serving, this actually tastes best when refrigerated overnight.

PINEAPPLE RICOTTA PIE- ITALIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In saucepan combine pineapple, cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix and bring to low boil. Continue to cook until slightly thickened. Remove and set aside.
• In mixing bowl combine Ricotta, cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 egg and rum if you want. mix until smooth.
• Pour into pie shell.
• Spread pineapple mixture evenly on top. Slowly add over the Ricotta mixture and try to cover evenly.
• Cut 2nd pie crust into 1" strips and arrange over the top in a lattice fashion.
• Mix remaining egg and milk in small bowl.
• Brush egg/milk mixture over top of pie.
• Bake in 425°F oven for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, turn heat down to 375°F and cook for 20-25 minutes more. You want the top to be a nice golden brown and the mixture will be slightly "jiggly".
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before putting in fridge. It's best to let it sit in fridge for at least another hour before serving.
• Enjoy!

ITALIAN RICE PIE II

Steps:

• Stir the flour and baking powder together in a bowl; set aside. In a second large bowl, cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time, and stir in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture to make a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and shape into two balls. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to fit two 10 inch pie plates. Line the pie plates with the crust, and refrigerate until needed.
• Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, and stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the milk. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Meanwhile, beat the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 6 eggs together in a mixing bowl until smooth and frothy. Stir in the cooled rice mixture until evenly blended. Pour into the pie shells.
• Bake pies in preheated oven until the filling is set and tops are golden brown, about 90 minutes. Cool on racks.

EASTER RICE PIE

Steps:

• Grease two 9-inch pie plates.
• Pulse flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor several times until combined.
• Place butter into the flour mixture and pulse just until butter resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in 1 egg and vanilla extract; process until dough holds together, about 30 seconds.
• Place dough on a well-floured work surface, divide in half, and roll each piece into a 9-inch round crust.
• Fit crusts into the prepared pie plates and freeze for 1 hour.
• Bring water to a boil in a saucepan; stir in rice and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until rice has absorbed the water, about 20 minutes.
• Stir milk into the rice and bring to a simmer; cook until thickened, stirring often, about 10 more minutes. Set rice mixture aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Beat ricotta cheese, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 6 eggs together in a bowl until smooth. Stir in cooked rice mixture and crushed pineapple until thoroughly combined.
• Divide the filling between the 2 cold pie crusts.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set and the tops are golden brown, about 90 minutes. Cool on racks.