Pastiera

Easter dessert from Naples

Another very traditional recipe from Naples. It is best made a couple of days before Easter because it contains ricotta that needs time to set before eating. It is very much worth the effort! Thanks again to my mother in law for her recipe. Ingredients:

1. Round of SWEET pastry (make your own or buy it)

2. 380 g cooked wheat

3. 300 g ricotta cheese (if you can, from sheep)

4. Candid fruit (lemon and orange, 80 g total)

5. 40 g butter

6. 3 eggs

7. 1 vanilla pod

8. 300 g sugar

9. 1 lemon peel

10. Spoonful orange flower water

11. 200 ml milk

12. Icing sugar to serve

13. 20 cm cake tin

Method:

1. Put the wheat, lemon and butter, put in a pan.

2. Add milk and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer on low for 20 mins.

3. Leave to cool for about 2 hours. If making pastry, do it now.

4. Meanwhile, get your candid fruit and blend in a food processor.

5. When the wheat mixture is cool, remove lemon. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth.

6. Add candid fruit to the wheat mixture and blend all together using the hand blender.

7. Now put ricotta in a bowl.

8. Add sugar and beat together.

9. Add wheat mixture and continue to beat together using a wooden spoon.

10. Add eggs, vanilla and orange water.

11. Mix very well until all smooth and creamy like.

12. Put sweet pastry in your cake tin, cut off the edges and set a side.

13. Add mixture and use edges to make a pattern on top.

14. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 1 hour until brown. Turn once during cooking.

15. IMPORTANT: leave to cool on wire rack UNCOVERED for 24 hours.

16. Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.