Pastiera napoletana (Neapolitan Easter cake/tart)

Pastiera napoletana is a lovely sweet Italian tart that's a traditional dessert for Easter. This Neapolitan cake has a wonderfully creamy filling, thats gently aromatic with orange, and a crisp, buttery crust. A delicious treat whenever you enjoy it.

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For a number of places that celebrate Easter, either a sweet bread, cake of other slightly indulgent treat is often traditionally part of the celebration, like cozonac in Romania and tsoureki in Greece. I imagine it's in part to enjoy some of the things you may have missed during Lent, plus they can be perfect for sharing as you gather with family.

This lovely ricotta and grain pie or tart is one you'll find across Italy, but in particular in the Naples area where it's from. Not only is it delicious, but it's perfect for serving a crowd and is conveniently made ahead, too. 

The myth of pastiera

As mentioned above, this tart is from Naples in the Campania region of Southern Italy - "napoletana" means from Naples. But beyond location, the origins vary from vague to mythical.

One of the more fun legends is of an earlier version of the tart that is said to come from the mermaid Partenope who is a symbol of the city of Naples (as seen in a famous fountain). In fact Partenope was the town in the area that Naples grew from ("Neapolis" means new city), as the Greek mythological character was said to wash up on the shores.

The legend goes that Partenope would emerge from the sea each spring and sing to the locals, who in return brought ingredients from the region as gifts. Each of the gifts was also symbolic, like sugar to celebrate the mermaid's sweet song, flour symbolizing wealth and ricotta symbolizing abundance. Partenope took the ingredients to the gods who made this dessert for her to take back to the citizens of the town. 

Another story claims that the dessert made Maria Theresa of Austria, who was sometimes known as "the queen who never laughs", smile for the first time. Apparently her husband, Ferdinand I of Bourbon, convinced her to try it and it made her smile, and led him to exclaim that he'd have to wait until the next Easter to see her smile again.

More modern origins

In terms of the dessert today, most agree that the modern version was created by nuns in one of the area's monasteries, most likely in the 16th century. Some say it was San Gregorio Armeno monastery, others say it is unknown.

The ingredients have some symbolism for Easter - eggs are often part of Easter meals as they are a symbol of birth and fertility. The aromatic orange flower water used in this tart is reminiscent of the orange blossoms blooming in the area during spring.

As with any traditional recipe, different families have their own variations. But the broad ingredients of a pastry crust, the gently sweet ricotta and grain filling and orange aroma are constant.

Ingredients in pastiera

This pie is a little unusual as while it is in some ways a bit like a cheesecake, it is also different in a few key ways. Firstly, it has a pastry crust rather than crumbs, and secondly, the filling has more texture due to grains in with the cheese mixture. That may sound unusual, but believe me it works.

The core ingredients of this dessert are:

• "Pasta frolla", or sweet shortcrust pastry - this lines the base and sides of the tart, as well as decorating the top. The pastry is relatively soft being rich in butter and made with egg. 
• Ricotta cheese - this gives the wonderfully creamy texture and is the main component of the filling. Use a good quality, full fat ricotta for this and drain it to remove excess moisture.
• Eggs - these help bind the ingredients and let them set.
• Sugar - to sweeten the filling, though this is not an overly sweet dessert.
• "Grano cotto" or cooked wheat berries - traditionally you use cooked wheat berries that you then cook further with milk and lemon (or orange) rind to be extra creamy. You can also make this with cooked rice or farro.
• Candied citrus - this adds extra flavor and texture (as well as little bursts of color). You can use ready-made or make your own, one citrus or a mix of candied fruit. Whichever you choose, I recommend using good quality and un-dyed versions.
• Orange flower water - also called orange blossom water, this adds that lovely aromatic flavor to the dish. But be aware, it is quite strong so I suggest using just a little. You can find it in some specialty stores or online.
• Vanilla extract - this helps add a little more aroma and also enhances other flavors.

Some also include some cinnamon but I have left that out here, though you are welcome to add a little in the filling if you like. You might also add some lemon or orange zest, though as long as you have good candied fruit and the orange flower water, I don't think you need it.

Sourcing and preparing "grano cotto", cooked wheat berries

One of the less common ingredients in this is "grano cotto" which is cooked wheat berries. In years gone by, you would prepare these a day or more ahead by soaking them then cooking them, but these days you can buy them ready-prepared. 

In Italy, you can buy jars and cans of ready cooked grains relatively easily, but they are harder to find elsewhere. You can, though, find them in specialty Italian stores and online. 

If you can't find ready cooked grano cotto then you can also make your own from raw wheat berries. Just note that you want the softer white wheat berries rather than harder red ones. Soak them overnight then cook in gently salted water until tender. Then still prepare as below with the milk.

Alternatively, you can also make this tart/cake with other grains, as mentioned above. Rice is a common alternative and you could use farro as well. The texture and flavor will be similar though that little bit different. For both, cook until just tender then prepare with milk as with the grano cotto.

One thing to note with ready-prepared grano cotto. I found the jarred grains that I got hold of pretty salty. In fact far too salty to my taste. So I found I needed to rinse the grains before then cooking with the milk. I recommend trying a little before making the pie and see if you need to do the same.

Tips for making pastiera

There's no getting away from the fact that there are a couple of steps to make this. It does take a bit of time. But it's easy enough and as I say, it's all made ahead. So, if nothing else, it's all ready when you want to serve it.

Tips for the preparation ahead of time:

• Give yourself time for the preparation - a couple components in this need a little time to chill or drain. So give yourself time to let these happen, as they each help as described below.
• Chill the pastry - this will help it be easier to work with. It's pretty high in butter so can be very soft if too warm. 
• Drain the ricotta - while you may think it seems pretty firm, you'll be surprised that some liquid still comes out. And reducing the liquid helps the filling be a better consistency.
• Let the grano cotto cool - after you cook the grains in milk, you need to let the mixture cool. Not only does this stop it warming the rest of the mixture (and accidentally cooking the eggs), but it helps the milk evaporate and be less liquid.

Tips as you put together the pastiera:

• Use a deep dish or pan - part of what makes this special is the balance between the pastry and the filling. The filling should be relatively thick so you need a deep dish to help ensure you can hold it. Some deep pie dishes will work, but a springform pan is in many ways the best. Just trim the top of the pastry down a little as it will be a little too deep to the top. The pastry should end up just over where the filling comes to.
• Feel free to do some patching! - the pastry can be soft, but it's also forgiving. If it breaks or ends up too thin somewhere, just patch it up and press so the addition sticks. 
• Chill pastry scraps for top - you should have some pastry saved as well as some trimmings that you can use to decorate the top. It's worth chilling them again as you add the filling, just to help them be that bit firmer. 
• Bake until golden all over - you want the top to have some color all over and look set. The pastry may look a little dark, but don't worry. Remember, it's relatively thick so you want it cooked right through (though not dry).
• Ideally, bake a day ahead - this lets the flavors develop a little more.

Storing Neapolitan Easter cake

Once the tart/cake has cooled after cooking, you should store it in the fridge. As above, it's worth storing overnight before eating at all to help the flavors to mingle. It also lets the filling become that bit better set. 

Initially, you can just cover it loosely with cling wrap/film as you chill it whole. But if you have any leftover, it's worth wrapping a little more tightly. It will keep at least 3 days in the fridge, but can last a day or two more. 

This makes a lovely dessert as well as snack alongside coffee or tea. It's relatively rich, so you probably don't want to serve particularly large pieces. Plus the crust can be a little hard to cut through so it's worth not being too large a chunk.

Pastiera napoletana is such a classic Easter tradition in the Naples area, but also enjoyed more widely, and it's easy to see why it is a favorite. The filling is wonderfully creamy, sweet but not overly so, and with a wonderful aromatic orange flavor. Deliciously different and well worth a try.

Try these other cakes and tarts:

• French pear cake (easy to make, light and gently sweet with bursts of pear throughout)
• Peach and pistachio tart (a stunning looking tart with a pistachio frangipane-like filling and tender peach slices nestled inside)
• German plum cake (Plaumenkuchen or Zwetschgenkuchen, a lovely mix of soft fruit over a yeasted base with streusel on top)
• Finnish blueberry pie (mustikkapiirakka, another cheesecake-like pie which has a lovely lightly cardamom flavor)
• Plus get more Italian recipes and Easter recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

I have drawn on a few recipes for this including this Memorie di Angelina recipe and this Marcellina in Cucina recipe.

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