Pastiera Di Grano Recipes

EASTER WHEAT PIE (PASTIERA DI GRANO) RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• Pie crust: Sift flour and sugar into a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or with fingertips to distribute butter evenly through flour. Stir in egg yolks one at a time, mixing with wooden spoon. Work with hands until dough is manageable. Add milk to hold together. Turn into a lightly floured board and knead until smooth. Form into a ball and chill 30 minutes. Then divide the ball in two. Roll out on lightly floured board to about 1/4 thick (large enough to line a deep 10" pie plate). Butter pie plate an line with pastry leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Roll out other piece of dough and cut into 1/4 inch strips for lattice work topping. Filling: In scalded milk, mix can of wheat 1/4 teaspoon salt and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add citron and orange peel, set aside. Meanwhile beat ricotta and 1 cup of sugar then add 6 egg yolks, vanilla and orange water. Blend well. Stir in prepared wheat. Then fold-in beaten 4 egg whites. Pour into pie shell. Arrange strips criss-cross over filling to edge and flute heavily. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until firm in center. Let cool in oven with door open. Serve sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

PASTIERA DI GRANO

Steps:

• For the Crust:
• Dissolve 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in 1/4 cup of milk.
• Mix all the ingredients well. Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Shape into a round disk 1/4 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Roll out the dough to fit into 12 1/2 X 1 1/2 inch pie tin.
• For the Pastry Cream:
• Beat the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and egg yolks with a wire whisk in a large saucepan.
• Place on medium heat, add the milk, and whisk until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and refrigerate. Meanwhile make the filling.
• For the Filling:
• Beat all the ingredients well. Fold in the pastry cream. Pour into a prepared pie tin. Bake for 1 hour at 350°F
• Allow to cool. This can be frozen and thawed to room temperature before serving.

MARIA'S EASTER (WHEAT) PIE/"PASTIERA DI GRANO"

Steps:

• ***PreparingThe Wheat: If"soaked" or"precooked" wheat is not available, dry wheat may be used.
• Cover the dry wheat with cold water (water should be about 2 inches over the wheat) and boil it for 15 minutes or until the wheat berries crack open.
• Remove pan from heat and allow wheat to soak for a full 24 hours.
• After soaking, drain well before using in steps#17-19.
• If"soaked"/"precooked" wheat is used, add the wheat to a pan of boiling water and cook it for about 5-10 minutes (most of the wheat berries should be open and they should be chewy but tender).
• Drain well, let cool and use for steps#17-19.
• Crust: Mix flour, sugar and lemon peel together in a bowl.
• Work butter into flour using your fingers (until it is the size of peas).
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.
• Knead the dough lightly until it holds together well and clears the bowl.
• Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill it for about 1/2- 1 hour before using.
• Cream: Fill the bottom of a double boiler with enough water so that its insert doesn't quite touch the water; bring the water to a boil.
• Mix the whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon peel and citron together in the insert of the double boiler which has been set in to the bottom pan.
• Cook the"cream," stirring constantly until it has thickened and is the consistency of a thick pudding (about 20-30 minutes).
• Remove the insert from the boiling water and set aside to allow the"cream" to cool, stir occasionally to keep a skin from forming.
• Note: I sometimes put the insert pan with the"cream" mixture into a bowl of very cold water, to help it cool down faster, don't forget to stir it.
• Wheat: Add the (cooked, soaked, well drained) wheat to a saucepan with the milk and butter.
• Cook the wheat mixture, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, and mixture starts to boil; boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Prepare Pans: On a lightly floured board, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the bottom and sides of two lightly buttered 9-inch glass cake pans.
• Leave a 1/2 inch overhang of dough if you are going to use the lattice top.
• If not using the lattice, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch.
• Re-roll scraps and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips to use as a lattice top for the pie.
• (If you prefer, the lattice can be omitted.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Ricotta Filling: Mix ricotta, eggs, sugar and lemon peel together in a large bowl.
• Beat mixture by hand, with a wooden spoon, until smooth and creamy.
• Add the"cream" mixture and the wheat mixture to the ricotta filling, stirring until all is well blended.
• Pour or ladle the filling into prepared pans (to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pan).
• For The Lattice: place the strips of dough across the filling, spaced about 1 inch apart (at right angles) forming a lattice top.
• Fold the 1/2 inch overhang over the edges of the lattice and flute well.
• If not making the lattice top, fold the 1/4 inch overhang on to itself, and lightly flute.
• Bake pies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bottom of the crust is light brown, the center is set, and the top of the pies are golden.
• Turn off oven and let the pies cool for an hour in the oven with the oven door slightly (about 2 inches) ajar.
• Remove pies from oven and place on a wire rack.
• When completely cooled, cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until serving.
• If you like, you can give the pie tops a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.
• Note: Its best to served this pie directly from the pan, as trying to plate the whole pie is more trouble than its worth, and causes breakage.