This Neapolitan speciality is made for Easter with each region and family having its own version. Our recipe uses arborio rice, which adds a luxurious creaminess to the filling. And, of course, no Italian dessert is complete without gelato
| Created by | Spinneys |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 60 minutes |
| Serves | 8-10 |
| Cuisine | Italian |
| Diet | Vegetarian |
| Preparation | Moderate |
| Calories | 792 |
| Fat | 40g |
| Saturates | 10g |
| Protein | 27g |
| Carbs | 106g |
| Sugars | 17g |
| Given the cook-at-home nature of Spinneys and natural variations in ingredients, nutritional information is approximated. See details | |
Ingredients
Cooking Instructions
Download PDFPreheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease and line the base of a 22cm springform cake tin or a deep pie dish.
Using a Y-peeler, peel a lemon in one go. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the milk, arborio rice and lemon peel. Bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently until the rice absorbs the milk and becomes thick and creamy. Remove the lemon peel and set the rice mixture aside to cool completely.
Zest a lemon and orange.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the ricotta and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, candied fruit, citrus zest, orange blossom water, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whisk well to combine.
Fold the cooled rice mixture into the ricotta mixture and stir gently until fully combined.
Roll out one sheet of pastry and gently lift and press it into the cake tin, ensuring it covers the base and sides. Trim any excess dough, setting the scraps aside. Pour the filling into the tin and smooth the surface.
Roll out the remaining pastry and cut it into eight strips. Arrange four over the filling in one direction and four crossing over in the opposite direction to create a lattice pattern.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the pastiera is golden brown and slightly puffed. Remove from the oven and cool completely. As it cools down the surface will settle.
Serve at room temperature, or chilled, with a dusting of icing sugar and two or three scoops of gelato.
