L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES FRANK FARIELLO I t's not Easter quite y e t , b u t i t d o e s n ' t mean we can't have a c h a t a b o u t p a s t i e r a — t h e most traditional Neapolitan Easter dessert — and learn how to make it! T h i s w h e a t b e r r y a n d ricotta pie is wonderfully perfumed with orange blos- som water, cinnamon and candied fruits, a kind of non p l u s u l t r a v e r s i o n o f t h e everyday ricotta cheesecake. Pastiera is not particu- larly difficult to make, but it does require some "exotic" ingredients you're not likely to find in a typical super- market outside Italy, name- ly grano cotto (pre-cooked wheat berries) and orange b l o s s o m w a t e r . C a n d i e d fruits can also be hard to come by. But there are sources and work arounds. (See notes for details). A proper pastiera also r e q u i r e s s o m e p a t i e n c e . Customarily, you start mak- i n g i t o n G o o d F r i d a y , when you prepare the filling and let it rest overnight. On Saturday, you actually make and bake the pastiera and let it rest overnight, before d i g g i n g i n t o i t o n E a s t e r Sunday. Of course, you can do it all in one day, but I would still try to make your pastiera the day before, or at least in the morning for consuming in the afternoon. The rest really does improve the flavor. Ingredients Makes one pastiera For the grano cotto: 1 550g jar of grano cotto (or pre-boiled wheat berries or barley, see Notes) 250 ml (1 cup) milk A h e a p i n g s p o o n f u l o f sugar Zest of 1/2 orange A drop of vanilla extract A knob of lard or butter For the ricotta cream fill- ing: 400g (or one 15 oz con- tainer) ricotta cheese 150-200g (5-7 oz) sugar, or more to taste 3 eggs A pinch of cinnamon A f e w d r o p s o f v a n i l l a extract A f e w d r o p s o f o r a n g e blossom water, to taste 75-100g (2.5-3.5 oz) can- died orange and/or citron peel For the crust: 3 0 0 g ( 1 0 - 1 / 2 o z ) " O O " flour (or pastry flour) 75g (2.5 oz) sugar 150g (5 oz) lard (or but- ter) 3 egg yolks For serving: Confectioner's sugar Directions C O O K T H E G R A N O COTTO: Add the grano cotto to a s a u c e p a n , a l o n g w i t h t h e other indicated ingredients, o v e r l o w h e a t . B r i n g t o a simmer and cook, stirring f r e q u e n t l y , u n t i l t h e mixture turns creamy and porridge-like, usually about 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool completely. MAKE THE FILLING: P o u r t h e r i c o t t a i n t o a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until the sugar is well incor- porated and the mixture is rather fluffy. Mix in the eggs as well, one by one. Now add the cooled grano cotto, fold- ing it into the ricotta cream until well incorporated. Add the cinnamon, vanilla and a few drops of orange blossom water. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add more orange blossom water if you want a more perfumed filling, tak- ing note that its intensity will lessen in baking. If you have the time, let this mix- t u r e r e s t i n t h e f r i d g e overnight. If not, even a few hours will do. MAKE THE CRUST: Mix the flour and sugar together by pulsing in a food processor. Then add the lard or butter and pulse until you h a v e a s a n d l i k e t e x t u r e . Then add the egg yolks and mix again until the dough forms a ball, adding a bit of water, spoonful by spoonful, if need be. Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or until needed. R O L L O U T T H E DOUGH AND LINE THE PIE PLATE: Take the dough out of the fridge. Take about 2/3 of the dough and roll it out into a round. To do this, I like to form the dough into a ball, flour it to avoid sticking, then beat it out flat with a rolling pin first, turning it Sweet, fragrant and delicate: pastiera main ingredient is grano cotto, which gives it a particular texture (Copyright: Dreamstime) Her Majesty, la pastiera Continued to page 28

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