Another Easter during the pandemic…🐣

tastes of Italy -

A festive atmosphere is entering the homes of Italians and Catholics around the world with several restrictions, yes, but always in compliance with the rules.

Easter breakfast in my home town, Rome, is a tradition full of delicious dishes, so much, that sometime there is no space left to eat again at the big fat lunch, so to speak…

The table is nicely set up for the occasion with tablecloth, plates and glasses and a feast of salty and sweet dishes have their main part. A real reward when fasting.

Chocolate eggs, cakes, pizza, hard-boiled eggs, rustic pies, corallina romana (salami)

you name it!

Last year, my best friend's Easter breakfast in Rome was even enriched with something outside of the roman tradition, the "Pastiera Napoletana".

A sweet of Neapolitan pastry, typical of this period, made with short crust pastry, a filling of cooked wheat cream, ricotta and candied fruit.

The pastiera is usually prepared on Holy Thursday, to be enjoyed at the Sunday lunch...

They had it for breakfast 😋

She sent me a photo of her masterpiece (see on top) and of course I was enthusiastic about it and I asked her to send me the recipe to make it myself.

I had never tried before but I was very proud of the result...

This year I will make the pastiera again for the Orthodox Easter next month, but you are still on time for the Catholic Easter if you want to experiment yourself now; it is not that easy though I have to warn you 😜

Ingredients:

For the short crust pastry:

3 whole eggs

500g of flour

200g of sugar

200g of lard or butter

For the stuffing:

700g of sheep or goat ricotta cheese

600g of sugar

400g of cooked wheat

80g of candied citron-gr. 80 of candied orange

50g of candied pumpkin (it's called cucuzzata) or other mixed candied fruit

a pinch of cinnamon

100g of milk

30g of butter or lard

7 whole eggs

1 sachet of vanilla

1 tablespoon of water from a thousand flowers

1 lemon

Directions:

First of all, get some grain wheat, preferably soft, hard one is fine too. Leave it in a bowl for 3 days and remember to change the water in the morning and in the evening. Then drain it and rinse it with running water and, when it is clean, put it to cook. For 500 gr. of wheat a pot with 5 liters of water is sufficient, over high heat until boiling. Then lower the heat and continue cooking for about an hour and a half without ever turning it. When cooked, add salt to taste and drain.

To prepare wheat desserts, of course, salt should not be added. This cooking is valid for the preparation of all wheat-based recipes. Cooked wheat can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. When it is time to use it, to prepare the desired recipe, bring the water to a boil, immerse the wheat in it and boil it for about 5 minutes.

Prepare the short crust pastry by mixing all the ingredients, form a small ball and let it rest. Pour the cooked wheat, milk, butter and grated zest of 1 lemon into a saucepan; cook for 10 minutes, stirring often until it becomes creamy.

Separately blend the ricotta, sugar, 5 whole eggs plus 2 egg yolks, a sachet of vanilla, a tablespoon of orange flower water and a pinch of cinnamon. Knead everything until the dough is very thin. Add a grated lemon peel and the candied fruit cut into cubes. Mix everything with the wheat. Take the short crust pastry and roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/2 cm with a rolling pin and line the previously buttered pan (approx. 30 cm in diameter), cut out the excess, roll it out and cut into strips.

Pour the ricotta mixture into the pan, level it, and decorate with strips forming a grate that you will brush with a beaten egg yolk. Bake at 180 degrees for an hour and a half until the pastiera has taken on an amber color.

Happy Easter!!!

Buona Pasqua!!!