Pastiera Napoletana Easter Recipe

There's No Easter in Naples Without This Sweet Grain and Cheese Pie

© Maddalena Delli

Ricotta cheese, Emiliano Spada, www.sxc.hu

Pastiera is made three or four days before Easter Sunday so the different flavors can blend. Here is the traditional Neapolitan recipe for this delicious Italian cake

This delicious ricotta cheese and grain pie is a very old Neapolitan speciality for the Easter season. Pastiera is best enjoyed one to three days after it is baked, so the different flavors can blend into a heavenly mix. Therefore, pastiera is traditionally made on Good Thursday or Good Friday to be had as a dessert on Easter Sunday and each family hands down a 'secret' recipe from one generation to the next.

The preparation comprises two steps: the short pastry and the filling, followed by the baking.

Ingredients for the Short Pastry

Method

Knead the flour, butter, sugar and eggs together quickly. Make a ball of the dough and let rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Ingredients for the Filling

Method

Baking the Pastiera

Grease a 12" baking pan with butter and dust with sugar. Line with three quarters of the pastry. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into strips. Arrange the strips over the filling in a lattice design. Brush the strips of dough with egg yolk. Heat the oven to 375° F. and bake the cake for 1½ hours, until the filling sets and the crust is golden brown. Do not remove it from the oven immediately, but let it cool down inside. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving with a glass of sweet wine.

If required, the pastiera will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. It is also suitable for freezing.

Wine Pairing

Suitable wines to accompany Pastiera Napoletana would be:

More Italian Easter Recipes


The copyright of the article Pastiera Napoletana Easter Recipe in Italian Baking is owned by Maddalena Delli. Permission to republish Pastiera Napoletana Easter Recipe must be granted by the author in writing.




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