NEOPOLITAN EASTER TART – a delicious alternative

Easter means one thing in our family home however I’m more than ready anytime or date to enjoy my ultimate and incredibly comforting ‘Pastiera Napoletana (Easter tart).  I am so pleased I don’t have to wait until Easter for another slice of this moist and very delicate tart.  Traditionally eaten and loved in Campania, Naples.  A buttery pastry base paired with rich ricotta, cooked grains and jewel like orange peel.  Grano Cotto is available in Italian delicatessens and mixed through with the ricotta it adds a real substance and freshness to the tart.  A beautifully perfumed center piece perfect for any celebration not just Easter-  I do love a tradition, whether it’s just a simple family winning Sunday roast dinner to fish and chip Friday or that one dessert or sweet that means so much to you,  it ensures you must make and taste it on that said day of the year!

I feel a little like this when it comes to Nonna Carmela’s ricotta and rice cake and also her over salted pizza ciena tart (a cured meat and cheese layered filled pastry tart. A sweet and savoury memory of Easter from days gone by but never forgotten and most certainly will continue to be enjoyed into our future. These tarts symbolize everything sweet about Easter to me, when it comes to feasting of course! Obviously we all pair Easter sweets and treats with chocolate embossed egg goodies, but I have a love and desire for so much more as well as the norm we have grown to love and expect from the Easter bunny.  Nonna (my grandmother) is 89 years wonderful this August and even though she has slowed down somewhat she still musters up the strength to make the food that carries on our family traditions and In turn I now make the above along with my grain tart. Hailing from the south of Italy but loved from the mountains to the tippy toes this Neapolitan tart can be found in most bakeries but fundamentally in most if not every Neapolitan bakery window. Is one slice enough? I dare say no as I am a piglet. This tart freezes well too so can be made in advance. The grano cotto I speak of can be found in our local Italian shop deli on Ashburnham road and is purchased in a jar for around £1.80, ready for our convenience. In essence grano cotto is slow cooked and pre-prepared grains. It adds not only substance but also a fantastic warmth to the tart as well as making it perfectly filling. I truly can’t express how much I love this tart. I love it sliced and served cold on the go, equally warm would be a delight and as a center piece on your Easter table I’m sure it would be a welcomed change or most definitely a perfect addition. Here’s my recipe taken from my first cookery book ‘Southern Italian Family Cooking’….

Preparation time: 20 minutes            Pastry: 30 minutes chilling     Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves: 8

Pastry

350g 00 flour

200g butter, small cubes

1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

100g caster sugar

 

Filling

580g jar grano cotto (From the Italian Shop)

500g ricotta cheese

135g caster sugar

4 large egg yolks

2 tsp orange flower water (or freshly squeezed orange)

100g orange peel, finely chopped

1 orange, zest

1 tsp. icing sugar

28cm tart tin with a loose bottom

Preheat oven 180°C / Gas 4

  1. Add the flour to a large bowl along with the softened cubed butter.  Use your fingertips to make breadcrumbs.
  2. Sprinkle in the sugar and mix using a wooden spoon.
  3. Pour in the vanilla and crack in the eggs.  Stir and use a wooden spoon and your hands to form the dough.  Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  4. Empty the grano cotto into a large bowl along with the fresh ricotta and mix.  I like to use a fork for texture.
  5. Sprinkle in the caster sugar and egg yolks, mix with a metal spoon.  Add the orange flower water and chopped orange peel.
  6. Add in the orange zest and stir.  Set the filling aside and prepare pastry.
  7. Lightly dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry to the thickness of 5mm and line the pastry tin.  Trim off around the tin.
  8. Add the prepared filling into the tart case.
  9. Take the trimmings of the pastry and roll strips of pastry around 2 cm in width and lay the strips in rows across the tart to create a lattice effect.
  10. Bake for one hour until lightly golden and cooked through.

 

Serve sliced when cooled with a generous dusting of icing sugar alongside your favourite coffee.

Carmela’s tip: Buy good quality ricotta from a deli, most supermarket brands are very watery. Orange flower water can be replaced with juice from a freshly squeezed orange.