Tuesday 18 April 2023

Pastiera napoletana (Pastiera tart from Naples)

2 hours to prepare Serves 12



Pe fa ridere a tte, ce vò a Pastiera?

 


Pastiera is a dessert of the Neapolitan tradition, typical of the Easter period, based on shortcrust pastry, wheat, ricotta, eggs and an intense aroma of orange blossom.

A rich, important, tasty dessert that was often prepared at my house. The aroma was infatuating, the solid pastry shell and those perfect strips were my dream that I watched with open eyes. The filling was heaven: soft, creamy, with a fresh and vivid floral smell. Ecstasy with every bite. 

This recipe ensures light caramel colour, a pastry that does not break during cooking, a full-bodied and fragrant filling, compact and creamy at the same time - where wheat and ricotta embrace each other in a single consistency, wonderfully scented with orange blossom and citrus fruits -.
These instructions range from the choice of ingredients to the cooking method; all explained in detail with tips, to prepare a Neapolitan pastiera at home in a workmanlike manner, which has nothing to envy to that of the best pastry shops in Naples. Believe me, if you follow all the instructions carefully, it will also be simple to make!



H
ere are ingredients for
a 12-serving recipe (20-cm diameter baking pan):

 


For the pastry

165 g flour 00
65 g sugar
85 g butter
1 egg yolk
1/2 egg
2 g baking powder
1 lemon zest
1 pinch salt

For the stuffing
220 g sheep milk ricotta cheese
120 g sugar
1 egg yolk
1 and 1/2 egg
1 teaspoon orange blossom water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon orange juice
150 g cooked wheat
1/2 orange peel
1/2 lemon peel
100 ml milk
35 g candied orange

  1. The night before making your Pastiera cake, drain ricotta cheese in a colander and squeeze all the remaining liquid out in a clean cloth. Mix it with sugar and store it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours
  2. Prepare the base: cut the cold butter into cubes and knead it quickly with flour and sugar
  3. Stir in egg yolk and egg, one at a time, and lemon zest. Finally, baking powder and a pinch of salt, and knead again
  4. Form a ball, wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour
  5. Sift marinated ricotta cheese and mix it in a bowl with cinnamon
  6. Cook the wheat in the milk, together with orange and lemon zest, 12 g of butter. Bring on a low heat and let it go for 30 minutes. Once cooked blend half of it and let it cool down
  7. Grease and flour the baking pan, then cover bottom and sides with the pastry cut into a flattened disc-shape, about 5 mm thick
  8. Mix ricotta cream with wheat cream, orange juice, and candied orange
  9. Pour the cream into the pan, and do not forget to keep some dough aside for the strips of your pastiera
  10. Keep in the fridge for 2 hours, before cooking, so that the tart does not swell up in the oven
  11. Preheat oven to 150°C
  12. Bake at 150°C (static oven, middle shelf ) for 90 minutes

Nutrition Facts are detailed in the table below. Data is provided per serving.

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