Pastiera Napoletana, Neapolitan Easter Grain Pie

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The Pastiera is the most famous Neapolitan Easter traditional pastry. Prepared since centuries, in the region of Campania almost every family own his special Pastiera recipe. It's a pie crust with a filling of boiled grains (grano cotto), milk, ricotta, candied fruits (cedro, zucca e arancia candita), orange blossoms water (acqua di fiori d'arancio). The  Pastiera is so famous to deserve its own website: www.pastiera.com, I have got Pastiera from the Italian bakeries since I was a child.... and now I've finally baked it myself, a few times, trying to get the good recipe.... finally I think I got it!

This  is my own Pstiera recipe: the crust is the one I use for crust pies in general, the traditional recipe uses lard I prefer to use butter, you can use what you like. The canned cooked grains are a must, you will normally find it in the italian grocery stores, as well as the orange blossoms water (no alcool) and candied fruits. It takes two days to make a good Pastiera, be patient and you will be rewarded ;)

Ingredients:
For the crust:
300gr AP flour
150gr butter (or lard)
100gr sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
The grated peel of 1 organic lemon
For the grain mixture: 
580gr of cooked grains ("Grano cotto per Pastiera"canned or in glass jar)
150gr milk
40gr butter
the grated peel of 1/2 organic lemon
For the ricotta mixture:
600gr of Italian ricotta cheese
5 eggs
350gr sugar
1 vanilla stick
50gr candied lemon peel finely chopped
50gr candied orange peel finely chopped
50gr candied squash finely chopped
2tbs of orange blossoms water
1/2 Tbs cinnamon powder

Preparation:
- The night before:
Prepare the cooked grain mixture:
Soak the cooked grain, place in a pan with the milk, a vanilla stick (optional), the grated lemon peel and the butter, bring to boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes till creamy. Let it cool and place it in the fridge overnight.

Prepare the crust dough:
Place all the ingredients in a mixer, mix for few minutes and shape a ball. Wrap in plastic film and place it in the fridge overnight.

- The day after:

Prepare the ricotta mixture:
- In a mixer, add the ricotta with the sugar, the eggs. mix untill the mixture gets creamy; add the candied fruits, the cinnamon, the orange blossom water, cut in 2 (longside)eh vanilla stick, add the grains to the mixture, add the orange blossom water. Mix well. Add the prepared grain mixture. Mix well.

Prepare the pie:
Roll out 2/3 of the crust dough and line the pan, let the rest for the decoration strips.

Full the pan with the filling and place the crust dough strips accross the filling in a diagonal pattern.

Bake in a moderately hot oven (170 C or 350 F) for an hour or slightly more. The filling should dry almost completely and firm up, while the pie crust should brown lightly.

Your Pastiera is ready, let it cool and rest till the day after. The Pastiera is much better when you one  you eat it after one or two days.... in Naples it is usually prepared the Friday before Easter, to be served for the traditional Easter family lunch.

Sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top just before to serve. Buona Pasqua e bun appetito!