Pastiera Napoletana

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Pastiera Napoletana is a traditional sweet Easter pie from Naples. It has the most beautiful and fragrant filling made from Grano Cotto (wheat berries), ricotta, candied citrus fruits and orange blossom water.

Prep Time40

Cook Time1 20

Chilling time2

Total Time4

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 527kcal

Author: Emily Wyper

Equipment

9 inch tart tin with loose bottom

Ingredients

Pasta Frolla (pastry)

250 g (2 cups spooned and levelled) Italian 00 flour or all-purpose flour
80 g (½ cup) caster sugar (can also use granulated)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
120 g (8.5 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
Zest of 1 orange
Pinch of salt

Ricotta Filling

400 g (2 cups) 2 cups ricotta well-drained
150 g (¾ cup) caster sugar (can also use granulated)
1 pinch cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste can also use extract
1 teaspoon orange blossom water see notes
100 g (¾ cups) candied fruit
3 large eggs

Grano Cotto mixture

290 g (1.5 cups) Grano Cotto (cooked wheat berries)
200 ml (½ cup plus ⅓ cup) whole milk (6.7 fl oz)
25 g (2 tablespoons) butter
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Instructions

Preparation tips

Make sure to drain the ricotta for at least 24 hours to remove excess moisture (I sit it in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge).

To make the Pasta Frolla (pastry)

Put the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and butter in a food processor and blitz until the butter is broken up and it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the egg and grated orange zest and blitz until the pastry comes together in a clump. Turn it out onto your work surface and shape it into a ball a push it down slightly to form a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Grano Cotto mixture

Place the grano cotto, milk, butter, grated orange zest and sugar in a saucepan over a medium-low heat.
Cook the mixture for around 20-25 minutes whilst stirring with a wooden spoon until it’s thick and creamy.
Once ready, spread it out in a baking dish to cool.

To make the ricotta filling

Place the drained ricotta and sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk with a hand whisk until combined and creamy. Add the cinnamon, vanilla, orange blossom water and eggs and whisk everything together until combined. Add the candied fruit and stir it into the filling.
Place in the fridge. Once the grano cotto is completely cold mix it into the ricotta mixture.

Assemble and bake

Remove the Pasta Frolla from the fridge 30 minutes before using so it’s not too stiff.
Pre-heat the oven to 350F (180C). Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll out the pasta frolla until about 3mm thick.
Tip: When rolling out the pastry I roll it a couple of times then turn the pastry around dusting the work surface with flour again and repeat this process until the pastry gets too large to turn otherwise the pastry will stick to the work surface.
Using the rolling pin to assist, place the pastry over your tart tin making sure to fold in the sides. Roll the rolling pin over the top to cut the edges.
For the leftover pastry back into a ball and roll it out again with a little flour. Using a fluted pasta wheel or pizza cutter to cut out 7 strips for topping the pastiera.
Pour the filling into the tart tin and top with the strips or pastry to create a diamond lattice (4 on the bottom and 3 strips on the top).
Place the Pastiera on a tray and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes or until it’s browned on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tart tin. Once cooled remove from the case. Pastiera is best eaten 1-3 days after it’s made so transfer it to the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Let it come to room temperature before serving.

Video

Notes

Pasta Frolla - shortcrust pastry is supposed to be crumbly. Don't worry if it breaks or tears as you are assembling the Pastiera as you can patch it in and you'll never be able to tell after baking. Why does it break easily? Because the pastry should never be overworked (kneaded) or it'll become tough. You also don't want to add too much flour for the same reason.

Orange blossom water - I find this quite strong and it can be overpowering. A lot of recipes use as much as 1 tablespoon of orange blossom water which I find to be way too much. If you've never made Pastiera before I recommend using less like we do then maybe increase it next time until you find the amount you prefer.

Prepping in advance - Since there are a few different steps to making La Pastiera I highly recommend preparing the Pasta Frolla and draining the ricotta the day before.

The lattice (7 strips) - traditionally La Pastiera Napoletana is topped with 7 lattices (4 on the bottom and 3 on top). There are many myths and legends surrounding the 7 strips one being that they represent the 7 ancient streets in Naples.
Storage - once baked the Pastiera will keep well in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Nutrition