Pastiera Food

PASTIERA NAPOLETANA RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to combine.
• Add the cubed butter and mix till coarse crumbs form.
• Mix in the lightly beaten eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest until it forms a smooth ball. (takes less than a minute).
• Wrap the dough in cling wrap and allow to chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile spoon the jar of the cooked wheat in a medium sized stock pot.
• Add in the milk, vanilla bean and lemon zest.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until the mixture thickens and has absorbed most of the liquids.
• Stir frequently making sure to keep an eye on it so the wheat berries do not stick to the pot and burn.
• Scrap out the any remaining seeds from the vanilla bean. Stir them back into the cooked wheat mixture and set aside to cool.
• While the mixture cools, grease a 25cm round tart tin with a removable bottom and set aside. (I used a 25cm (10 inch) deep quiche pan with removable bottom however any 10 inch pie dish would also work).
• Cut a quarter of the dough off, reserving it for the lattice top.
• Roll out the remaining dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the tart tin with the rolled dough.
• Trim off any excess dough with a knife.
• In a medium sized bowl mix together the ricotta, the 2 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks until light and fluffy.
• Mix in the powdered sugar (icing sugar), orange blossom water, orange and lemon zests until combined.
• Stir in the cooled wheat mixture.
• In a separate bowl beat the two remaining egg whites just until stiff peaks form and then softly fold them into the ricotta mixture.
• Pour the ricotta mixture into the prepared pie.
• Roll out the remaining pastry dough and cut out 9 strips of dough slightly longer than the pie tin. (about 1 inch wide)
• Place the strips of dough over the filling in a criss-cross pattern and trim off any excess.
• Brush the strips of dough with milk and bake the pie in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F, for about 60 minutes or until a lovely golden brown.
• Allow the ricotta pie to cool completely before refrigerating then dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
• This ricotta pie actually tastes better the day after it's baked making it a great make ahead dessert.

PASTIERA NAPOLETANA

Steps:

• For the Pasta Frolla, combine dry ingredients in food processor and pulse to mix. Cut butter into 8 pieces and add. Pulse to mix in finely. Add eggs and pulse until dough forms a ball. Remove from work bowl, wrap and chill dough.
• Soak the wheat in water to cover overnight if possible. Drain the wheat and place in a pan with salt and water to cover by 3 to 4 inches and simmer until tender, about 2 hours. Add water as necessary to keep from drying out and sticking. Cool and refrigerate until needed.
• For the pastry cream, combine sugar and flour in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Stir well to mix and add the milk, slowly, whisking it in smoothly. Whisk in the egg. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the pastry cream thickens and comes to a boil. Boil, stirring vigorously, about 1/2 minute. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and scrape into a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface and chill.
• For the filling, place ricotta in a mixing bowl and stir the cooled pastry cream to make a smooth, creamy mixture; stir in the sugar, eggs and remaining ingredients. Stir in the cooked wheat kernels.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the lowest level. Butter a 9-inch cake pan, 2-inches deep. To assemble, cut off 1/3 of the Pasta Frolla and reserve it. Roll the 2/3 of the dough into a 14-inch disk and line the prepared pan with it. Allow the dough to hang over the edge of the pan. Pour in the filling and sprinkle it with the cinnamon. Roll the remaining 1/3 of the dough into a 10-inch square. Cut it into 10 1-inch wide strips. Paint the strips with the egg wash. Moisten the rim of the dough on the pan with the egg wash, and adhere 5 strips in each direction, forming a diagonal lattice. Trim away any excess dough even with the top of the pan and push the dough all around off the top rim of the pan so that it is completely within the pan.
• Bake about 45 minutes, until the filling is set and the pastry is light golden. Cool in the pan before unmolding. To unmold, invert onto a flat plate, lift off the pan, replace the pan with another plate or platter, then re-invert, so that the Pastiera is right side up. Serve the Pastiera at room temperature.

PASTIERA NAPOLETANA

Steps:

• Soak 100 g (3½ oz) farro or wheat grains (berries) in plenty of cold water, changing the water daily, for three days.
• For the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar, salt, orange zest and butter in a food processor and blitz to a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add the egg yolks to the mixer and blend again briefly, until the mixture comes together as a dough (add a tablespoon or two of iced water if the dough is still dry and does not come together). Form the dough into two equal rounds with your hands. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill in the fridge or freezer, depending on when you want to use it. It needs to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before you roll it.
• Grease a deep 23 cm (9 in) cake tin/crostata tin with butter, then dust it lightly with flour. After the dough has rested, roll it out to a rough 2 mm (1/16 in) thickness and line the cake tin, pushing the dough up the sides of the tin to create a 5-7.5 cm (2-3 in) depth and trimming any overhang. Don't worry too much about perfectly thin, even pastry. Reserve the pastry trimmings for the lattice top. Chill the pastry case in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Remove the pastry case from the fridge and blind-bake until just golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
• For the farro or wheat berries, on the third day of soaking, drain the soaked grain. Cook in a saucepan with the milk, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt over a very low heat, covered with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes until the grain is plump and tender and all the milk had been absorbed. Spread the grain out on a plate to cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
• For the rest of the filling, whisk or beat the ricotta in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the orange zest, candied fruit, sugar, orange blossom water, vanilla and salt. Into this mixture, stir the cooled cooked wheat. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then fold them gently into the ricotta mixture.
• Pour the whole lot into the prepared pastry case. Cut the leftover pastry dough into strips about 2 cm (¾ in) wide, and arrange them over the top in a diagonal lattice. Use your fingers to press the edges of each strip into the pastry case walls to seal them.
• Brush the top of the tart with the beaten egg and bake for 90 minutes, or until biscuit brown all over.
• Let the tart cool and the filling settle, for at least 12 hours in a cool place before slicing into it. Serve, finally, with coffee and congratulations.

PASTIERA

Steps:

• Make the crust: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, melted butter and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Lightly butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer; set aside.
• Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ricotta, heavy cream, eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Fold in the rice and orange zest with the rubber spatula.
• Pour the filling over the prepared crust. Bake until the edges are golden brown and set but the center is still slightly jiggly, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

PASTIERA (ITALIAN EASTER PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat until well blended. Beat in the sugar, then stir in the ricotta, lemon juice and rind until thoroughly incorporated.
• Add the cream and stir until smooth and creamy. Fold in the rice, then stir in the cinnamon. Pour the filling into the pie crust.
• Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is nicely browned (45-60 minutes). Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

PASTIERA DI GRANO

Steps:

• For the Crust:
• Dissolve 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in 1/4 cup of milk.
• Mix all the ingredients well. Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Shape into a round disk 1/4 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Roll out the dough to fit into 12 1/2 X 1 1/2 inch pie tin.
• For the Pastry Cream:
• Beat the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and egg yolks with a wire whisk in a large saucepan.
• Place on medium heat, add the milk, and whisk until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate. Meanwhile make the filling.
• For the Filling:
• Beat all the ingredients well. Fold in the pastry cream. Pour into a prepared pie tin. Bake for 1 hour at 350°F
• Allow to cool. This can be frozen and thawed to room temperature before serving.

PASTIERA

Steps:

• Soak the wheat berries in plenty of cold water for at least 3 days, or until they soft and not rubbery, changing the water daily. Drain well. Put the wheat, lard and milk in the top of a double boiler and cook, covered, over boiling water for about 2 1/2 hours. Be sure to add boiling water to the botton pan every 20 to 30 minutes. (The wheat should be soft and in separate grains, like rice. If the wheat seems dry, add about Y cup more hot milk and stir well. Timing will vary depending on the age of the wheat berries.) Add the sugar and continue cooking another 30 minutes. Set aside to cool. The milk will continue to be absorbed as wheat cools.
• To make the pastry dough, combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon rind in a bowl. Add the butter, cut into little pieces, and mix quickly, using your hands or a pastry blender. Mix in the ice water just until the dough holds together. Knead briefly to combine thoroughly, wrap in plastic wrap or foil and set aside to rest in a cool place for about 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, combine the ricotta with the lemon zest, orange-flower water, vanilla, candied orange peel and egg yolks. Mix well and fold in the wheat. Set aside.
• Lightly butter and flour the bottoms and sides of two 9 1/2-inch tart or quiche pans with removable bottoms. Set aside about a third of the pastry, enough to make lattice tops for the two tarts. Roll out the pastry into thin circles and line the bottoms and sides of the tart pans.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat the egg whites until they are fairly stiff. Stir about a quarter of the egg whites into the ricotta mixture to soften, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Fill the tarts with the mixture. Roll out the reserved dough and cut into lattice strips to fit the tops of the tarts. Paint the tops of the tarts with the beaten egg and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the crust is just golden. Cool on a rack and serve at room temperature or just barely warm.

PASTIERA (ITALIAN EASTER TART)

Steps:

• Combine cooked wheat berries, milk, butter, and zest of 1 lemon in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease an 11-inch springform pan or aluminum pan and line with one of the pastry crusts.
• Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, 1 tablespoon orange flower water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor; mix until smooth. Mix in remaining lemon zest and orange peel. Fold in wheat berry mixture and pour over the bottom crust.
• Roll out remaining pastry crust and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place on top of the pie in a lattice pattern and brush with beaten egg.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is cooked through and top is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool for about 30 minutes.
• Remove pie carefully from the pan and place on a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar.