Rice Pastiera

Rice pastiera is a variant of the more traditional Neapolitan pastiera that uses wheat, but which can prove equally delicious. Here is the recipe with an Italian touch:

Ingredients

• 500 g shortcrust pastry
• 150 g rice
• 500 ml milk
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 300 g ricotta
• 150 g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 50 g candied fruit (orange and citron)
• Vanilla essence
• 1 pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar (for decoration)

Preparation

1. Cook the rice: bring the milk to a boil with the lemon zest and cinnamon stick. Add the rice and cook over low heat until soft. If necessary, add more milk or water to prevent it from drying out too much. Remove the cinnamon and lemon zest and let cool.
2. Prepare the pastry: Roll out the shortcrust pastry into a thin layer and use it to line a cake pan (preferably springform) about 24 cm in diameter. Prick the base with a fork.
3. Make the filling: In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the sugar until smooth. Add the whole eggs one at a time, the egg yolk and the pinch of salt, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add rice and candied fruit: Fold the cooled rice and candied fruit cut into small pieces into the ricotta mixture, along with a few drops of vanilla essence.
5. Pour in the filling: Pour the mixture into the pastry-lined pan and level the surface with a spatula.
6. Baking: Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 1 hour or until the pastiera is golden and the surface is slightly puffed.
7. Cooling and decoration: Let the pastiera cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Remember that rice pastiera tastes even better if eaten after at least one day of resting, allowing the flavors to meld perfectly.

Trivia

Pastiera is a typical dessert of the Neapolitan Easter tradition, and legend has it that it was born from the siren Parthenope, who offered the Neapolitans seven precious gifts symbolic of the riches of the territory, later transformed into the dessert’s ingredients.