Easter Wheat Pie from Naples🥧 🐣/ Pastiera di Grano Napoletana 🥧🐣

Easter Wheat Pie from Naples🥧 🐣/ Pastiera di Grano Napoletana 🥧🐣
Makes one pastiera - 9” inch pie dish
TIP: For best results & better tasting, prepare this pie 2-3 days in advance

Ingredients: Cooked Wheat (Grano Cotto)
1 jar (300 gr.) of Grano cotto (pre-boiled)
(You can find these jars in most Italian grocery stores)
1 cup of milk 🥛
2 lemon 🍋 strips
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter 🧈

Ingredients: Ricotta Filing
2 cups of strained ricotta (full fat)
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 grated zest of a lemon 🍋
2 eggs + 2 egg yolks

Ingredients: Pie Dough
2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsalted butter 🧈 (room temperature)
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs 🥚 (room temperature)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
NOTE: The very first thing you need to prepare is to cook the wheat (Grano)because it needs to cool completely before usage.
————————————————————————————————————————-
Preparing (cooking the wheat)
1) In a medium size sauce pan, pour the jar of pre-boiled wheat along with all the ingredients and cook it over the stove top burner on medium heat (stirring periodically) till the mixture starts to boil and the milk is almost all absorbed.This process will take approximately 10 minutes.

2) Remove the sauce pan from the burner and set it aside. While the wheat is cooling, it will continue to absorb the rest of the milk. And while the wheat is cooling, you can prepare the pie dough.

Preparation: Pie Dough

1) Place the flour on your working surface, and with the tip of your fingers,
make a “well” in the centre of the flour.
2) In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar till both are well combined and slowly pour the mixture into the “well” a bit of a time, while incorporating the flour into the egg batter with a fork.
3) When you have finished pouring the egg mixture, it’s time to place the cubed butter into the egg mixture and with a fork, mash all the butter into the egg mixture until the butter is mashed into the egg mixture.
4) At this point, with your hands, work the rest of the flour into the egg mixture.
5) Collect your dough and form it into a ball. Cut 1/3 of the dough and place it in plastic wrap and gently flatten out the dough. This dough is needed to make the top of the strips for the pie.
Wrap the 2/3 dough piece in plastic wrap and gently flatten out the dough. Flattening out the dough, makes it easier to roll it out.
Place both doughs in the fridge for an hour.
6) With a sheet of paper towel, lightly butter the bottom and the sides of your pie dish and set your dish aside.

While the doughs are in the fridge, it’s time to prepare the filing.

Preparation: Pie Filing

1) Place a strainer over a large bowl and add the ricotta in the strainer. With a spatula, gently press the ricotta through the strainer. This process is to ensure that you get a smooth, creamy and lump free ricotta.
2) Time to add the rest of the ingredients into the ricotta (sugar, eggs and egg yolks, vanilla extract, lemon zest) and combine all together.
3) Remove the lemon strips from the cooked and cooled wheat, give it a couple more stirs.
(OPTIONAL) Should you want a creamier wheat, you can lightly mash it with a fork, or with a food masher.
4) Incorporate the wheat into the ricotta filling and combine both mixtures till well blended and set the filling to the side.

*** TIME TO ROLL OUT THE DOUGH

1) Roll out the bigger piece of dough till you reach a circle large enough to cover the bottom and overlap the sides of the baking dish by approximately 2” inches.
***Tip: you can gently place your baking dish over the rolled out dough to make sure that have achieved the correct width ***

2) Gently lift the rolled out dough off of your working surface and place it into your baking dish. With the tip of your fingers, gently press the dough to the bottom and the sides of the baking dish. With a bench scraper (or a knife) trim off the excess overlapping dough.
3) Pour the filling into the pie shell and spread out the filling evenly with a spatula.
4) Roll out the smaller piece of dough (this is for the top strips) onto your working surface, ensuring that you roll it out to make long enough strips.
5) With a pinwheel pastry cutter, cut 1” inch strips(approx. 3-4 strips) and place them vertically, two inches apart over the pie and then 3-4 strips horizontally over the pie.
6) Your pie 🥧 is ready be placed on a lined baking sheet(this is to catch any overspills) and into a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for
one (1) hour, or until your pie is golden/ lightly brown. However at the 45 minute mark, check your pie because the baking temperature and baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven.

Happy Easter to everyone, filled with plenty of love, peace and happiness 🐣🐰
Buona Pasqua a tutti, piena di amore, pace e felicita 🐣🐰

YOUTUBE: youtube.com/@lovewhatueat

INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/love_what_ueat/