| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 12 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 12 hr |
| Cook: | 45 min |
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup hulled wheat kernels
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (1/2 pound) whole milk ricotta
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon orange flower water
- 1/2 cup diced candied orange peel
- Cinnamon
- One egg, well beaten with a pinch of salt
Instructions
- 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.
Reviews
For anyone giving this a 1-star rating simply because you think it was miscategorized, this was from an episode called “Passover and Easter Desserts” (see link just below the recipe instructions). Recipes in this episode included “Slivered Almond Passover Fudge Cake” (a Passover dessert) as well as this traditional Italian Easter dessert “Pastiera Napoletana” (served on Easter). One is a Passover desert and one is an Easter desert. Hence the title of the episode: “Passover and Easter Desserts”. The Passover desert is made for Passover. The Easter one is made for Easter. This is the Easter one, not the Passover one. I hope that clears things up.
This recipe is absolutely forbidden on Passover. No flour is allowed on Passover.
I’m Italian and this recipe is very close to the original! Nick Malgieri is a great chef! Also, this is an Easter recipe, of course we use flour…
Okay people, this is a traditional Italian pie made for Easter – the category was for both Easter and Passover. If you see that the recipe has flour or other ingredients you can’t use then please don’t rate it! This recipie is fantastic – tasted just like my Italian born mother and grandmother made. Please, don’t believe these reviews; this Pasteria is delicious.
If you haven’t had this before the texture could be a bit surprising. It is sort of like a very dense, slice-able and moist rice pudding baked in a crust with an escence of citrus flavor. Yum!
kosher or not kosher, this recipe is delicious
it does require some effort, but the end result is amazing- it has become an easter staple for my family! this is a must try for any curious chef.
it does require some effort, but the end result is amazing- it has become an easter staple for my family! this is a must try for any curious chef.
Absolutely not kosher for Pesach by any standards, Ashkenazi or Sephardi! In fact, it’s kind of insulting to see it in the Passover section of the site.
This recipe is not kosher for passover at all..it’s an easter recipe! There are many many recipes listed for passover here that aren’t kosher for passover at all. Someone needs to check their facts better and be responsive to all the feedback.
This recipe should not be in this category — flour is not allowed during Passover — hello!!
This recipe has flour in it and is not for Passover