A cake of spring flavor

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Anna Di Meglio

As spring unfolds, we look forward to days of hope, renewal, rebirth—especially THIS spring.  Just as nature reveals to us that ‘new beginnings’ are underway, the Easter season too reminds us of the power of transformation for a new life.

Italians have various traditions and customs to prepare for Easter, among which is the preparation of the Pastiera Napoletana. As daughters of Ischitani, my sister and I were exposed to this tradition since childhood and continually look forward to it to relive the beckoning spirit of spring and Easter. Yes, it can be a lengthy process, but it is not a difficult task. I remember my mother preparing the ripieno (the filling) the night before the big pastiera production day. When my sister and I were children we were given the task of cutting the dough strips for the top of the pastiera and decorating the strips with egg yolk. My great-aunt, zia Nina, would send via relatives le fiale di fior d’arancio (orange blossom water), the special ingredient that would alchemize the mixed ingredients into la pastiera. These fiale can now be found in many Italian grocery stores in North America, but before this was possible, either we or our relatives would be sure to get a few when visiting Ischia. The fragrant aroma is sweetly redolent of sunshine and refreshing spring air….it is no wonder that for good luck Italian brides traditionally have orange flower blossoms in their bouquets.

I am gathering ingredients these days so that I can prepare the ripieno Holy Thursday evening and then prepare the pastiere on Good Friday…..they will taste better on Easter Sunday after resting for a day or two. After all the work that goes into preparing these pies, sharing them with relatives and friends is a symbol of true friendship and love! I enjoy seeing pictures of pastiere on social media….it is quite the accomplishment when they are done.

Do you prepare the pastiera or have you ever tasted one? If you would like to try to make one, here is the recipe that can be found on ischia.it. Don’t be intimidated….yes it is a bit of a long process, but not complicated at all. Do challenge yourself and try! ?

Happy Easter everyone!

pastierina

Ingredients:

Makes 4 pastiere of about 1.5 kg.
How to make the shell:
500 grams of flour
250 grams of sugar
250 grams of butter
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
 
How to make the filling:
1 kg of grano cotto (cooked wheatberries or pearl barley)
1 kg of fresh ricotta
800 grams of sugar
13 eggs
400 grams of small pieces orange peel
2 vials of Millefiori aroma
1 vial of fior d’arancio (orange blossom water)
1 small pouch of vanilla flavouring

 

Instructions:
Cook the 250 grams of grano (wheatberries) in 1.5 liters of water.
Drain the ricotta and combine with sugar.
At this point, start preparing the shell by mixing all the ingredients together and knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface until it is pliable. Form a ball and press it so that you have a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Both mixtures will be kept in the fridge overnight so that they will be ready for use the next day.
The next morning, add the grano cooked the previous night to the sugar and ricotta mixture. Gradually add the small pieces of orange peel and the vials of Millefiori and fior d’arancio.
Beat 13 eggs and add to the mixture. Mix well.
Roll out the dough and form circles of about 26 cm in diameter to line the bases and sides of aluminum pie plates (or similar). Pour into the plates the pie mixture. Cut strips of dough to cover the top of the pies; create a lattice by placing the strips across the length and width of each pie.
Now we are ready to cook the pies!
Place the pies in the oven for about one hour and twenty minutes at a temperature of 170 degrees Celsius.
TIP: once you take the pies out of the oven, let them sit for about 36 hours…..this is enough time for the aromas to settle and manifest their full strength.