Italian Rice Cake Recipes

TORTA DI RISO DI GRAZIANELLA (ITALIAN RICE CAKE)

Steps:

• In a saucepan over a low heat add the rice, milk, lemon peel, vanilla bean pod, and a pinch o salt. Bring the milk to a gentle simmer and cook the rice until al dente (mine took about 30 minutes). Pour in a medium bowl, and stir occasionally to help cool down. Remove the lemon peel and vanilla bean pod.
• Soak the raisins in the liqueur.
• Add the sugar to the rice mixture, the lightly beaten eggs, the raisins, and liqueur. Stir the mixture well.
• Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F), position the rack in the middle of the oven.
• Butter a 30 x 20cm baking dish, then dust with the breadcrumbs.
• Pour the rice batter into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with more breadcrumbs.
• Place in the preheated oven and cook for about 45-50 minutes, or until golden on top. To check if the rice cake is perfectly cooked, insert a toothpick into the middle of the cake, if it comes out dry then the cake is ready.
• Turn off the oven and leave the cake for 5 more minutes inside to dry out a bit. Then, take out of the oven and let cool completely.
• Divide into squares, dust with icing sugar and enjoy!

ITALIAN RICE PIE I

Steps:

• Beat eggs in very large bowl. Add sugar, mixing well. Stir in cheese and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream and stir. Fold in cooked rice and crushed pineapple.
• Pour into a 9 x 13 inch buttered pan.
• Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for one hour. Check by inserting clean knife into center. If the pie is done, knife will come out clean. Top should be golden brown. Refrigerate until thoroughly cooled.

ITALIAN RICE PIE II

Steps:

• Stir the flour and baking powder together in a bowl; set aside. In a second large bowl, cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in 3 eggs, one at a time, and stir in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour mixture to make a soft dough. Divide the dough in half and shape into two balls. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to fit two 10 inch pie plates. Line the pie plates with the crust, and refrigerate until needed.
• Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, and stir in the rice. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the milk. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Meanwhile, beat the ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 6 eggs together in a mixing bowl until smooth and frothy. Stir in the cooled rice mixture until evenly blended. Pour into the pie shells.
• Bake pies in preheated oven until the filling is set and tops are golden brown, about 90 minutes. Cool on racks.

ITALIAN RICE PIE (PASTIERA DI RISO)

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add eggs and pulse until just incorporated and dough begins to form large clumps.
• Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together, using a pastry scraper if you have one, and form into a thick log. Cut off 2/3 of the log and form into a large rectangle for the bottom of the pie. Form the remaining piece into a smaller rectangle for the top of the pie. Chill each, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Make filling:
• Bring rice and well-salted water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well.
• Whisk together 3 yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl, then whisk in cornstarch and flour until smooth (mixture will be very thick). Bring milk just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, then gradually add hot milk to yolk mixture, whisking.
• Pour custard back into saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, whisking constantly (custard will become very thick), then boil, whisking, 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with wax paper, until cold, about 2 hours.
• Stir together ricotta, custard, and remaining 2 yolks, then stir in zests, cinnamon, salt, and cooked rice.
• Assemble and bake pie:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan and line the bottom with an overlapping double layer of foil, leaving 2 inches of overhang on both ends, then generously butter foil.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 15- by 11-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). If dough becomes soft, chill or freeze until firm. Remove top sheet of wax paper and invert into baking pan, fitting it into pan. Chill shell. Roll out remaining piece of dough between sheets of wax paper in same manner. Cut 12 (3/4-inch-wide) crosswise strips (you will have a little dough left over).
• Spread filling in pan and arrange 6 strips, 1 1/4 inches apart, diagonally across filling, trimming ends to fit. Arrange remaining 6 strips, 1 1/4 inches apart, diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces. Trim lattice to fit in pan, then fold outside crust down over filling to make a border. Brush pastry with beaten egg.
• Bake pie until pastry is golden and filling is puffed and set, about 1 1/2 hours, loosely covering top of pie with foil after 50 minutes to prevent over-browning. Transfer to a rack to cool. When completely cool, lift pie out of pan using foil overhang and transfer to a platter.

ITALIAN LEMON RICOTTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan using butter and powdered sugar; set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl or stand up mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until combined. Add in the ricotta cheese and blend until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add in the vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice and mix to combine. In the same bowl, stir in the baking soda and salt. Lastly, add in the flour and mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of bowl to full incorporate all of the ingredients.
• Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing the collar and base of the pan. Cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

RICE RICOTTA EASTER PIE

Steps:

• Combine milk and rice in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add salt, vanilla bean and lemon peel. Stir.
• Once the milk begins to simmer, reduce heat to low, cover slightly and stir occasionally until the milk is absorbed; about 15-20 minutes. Stir constantly toward the end of this time to prevent the milk from scorching.The rice should be cooked but still firm as it will continue to cook in the oven.
• Remove lemon peel and vanilla bean.
• Set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Position rack to middle.
• Spray a 9½-inch spring form pan with non-stick spray (can also use parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
• Beat eggs with hand held beater or whisk.
• Add sugar, oil, lemon zest and whisk together.
• Sift flour and baking powder together and add to egg mixture.
• Whisk together.
• Spread mixture at the bottom of pan.
• Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl (of stand mixer), with whisk attachment, beat the eggs until light and frothy. Can also use a hand held blender or whisk.
• Gradually whisk in the sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes.
• Add ricotta, zests and cinnamon. Whisk until incorporated (about 1 minute).
• With a mixing spoon, gently combine the rice mixture, breaking up any clumps of rice.
• Pour into pie plate (over unbaked crust).
• Bake for about 60 minutes or until golden and top bounces back when lightly touched.
• Allow to cool completely.
• Can be served warm or cold.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving.