In the culinary landscape of Southern Italy, one dish that stands out with its unique blend of flavors and textures is the Pastiera di Maccheroni. This savory pie, originating from the Campania region, is a delightful combination of macaroni pasta, ricotta cheese, eggs, and a variety of savory ingredients, all encased in a golden-brown crust. Whether it's for a special occasion or a comforting family meal, the Pastiera di Maccheroni offers a symphony of flavors and a delightful journey into the rich culinary traditions of Southern Italy.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
PASTIERA
Scott Conant has only one thing in mind after Easter dinner: his family's Italian cheesecake.
Provided by Scott Conant
Time 2h45m
Yield 16 to 18 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Make the crust: Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, melted butter and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Lightly butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer; set aside.
- Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ricotta, heavy cream, eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Fold in the rice and orange zest with the rubber spatula.
- Pour the filling over the prepared crust. Bake until the edges are golden brown and set but the center is still slightly jiggly, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Let cool before slicing.
PASTIERA DI MACCHERONI
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a Bundt or tube pan. Beat eggs in large bowl and stir in all ingredients except spaghetti. Cook spaghetti al dente and drain. Add to egg mixture until all are evenly coated. Turn into pan and press so mixture is even and smooth. Bake 45 minutes or until slightly brown and crusty. Let stand 5 minutes, run a sharp knife around edge of pan, and invert. Chill overnight. One half-hour before serving, remove from refrigerator.
PASTIERA NAPOLETANA
Steps:
- For the Pasta Frolla, combine dry ingredients in food processor and pulse to mix. Cut butter into 8 pieces and add. Pulse to mix in finely. Add eggs and pulse until dough forms a ball. Remove from work bowl, wrap and chill dough.
- Soak the wheat in water to cover overnight if possible. Drain the wheat and place in a pan with salt and water to cover by 3 to 4 inches and simmer until tender, about 2 hours. Add water as necessary to keep from drying out and sticking. Cool and refrigerate until needed.
- For the pastry cream, combine sugar and flour in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Stir well to mix and add the milk, slowly, whisking it in smoothly. Whisk in the egg. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the pastry cream thickens and comes to a boil. Boil, stirring vigorously, about 1/2 minute. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and scrape into a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface and chill.
- For the filling, place ricotta in a mixing bowl and stir the cooled pastry cream to make a smooth, creamy mixture; stir in the sugar, eggs and remaining ingredients. Stir in the cooked wheat kernels.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a rack in the lowest level. Butter a 9-inch cake pan, 2-inches deep. To assemble, cut off 1/3 of the Pasta Frolla and reserve it. Roll the 2/3 of the dough into a 14-inch disk and line the prepared pan with it. Allow the dough to hang over the edge of the pan. Pour in the filling and sprinkle it with the cinnamon. Roll the remaining 1/3 of the dough into a 10-inch square. Cut it into 10 1-inch wide strips. Paint the strips with the egg wash. Moisten the rim of the dough on the pan with the egg wash, and adhere 5 strips in each direction, forming a diagonal lattice. Trim away any excess dough even with the top of the pan and push the dough all around off the top rim of the pan so that it is completely within the pan.
- Bake about 45 minutes, until the filling is set and the pastry is light golden. Cool in the pan before unmolding. To unmold, invert onto a flat plate, lift off the pan, replace the pan with another plate or platter, then re-invert, so that the Pastiera is right side up. Serve the Pastiera at room temperature.
PASTIERA DI PASQUA (ITALIAN EASTER TART WITH RICOTTA)
This orange-flavored Italian Easter tart recipe is a classic dessert from Naples. Sometimes referred to as a "Neapolitan grain pie", pastiera di pasqua is made with cooked wheat grains and ricotta cheese.
Provided by Nesrine
Categories Holidays and Events Recipes Easter Desserts
Time 2h45m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Bring wheat grains, milk, butter, and 1/2 of the lemon zest to a simmer in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer until creamy, about 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 11-inch tart pan.
- Combine ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, orange flower water, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Mix in remaining lemon zest and candied orange peel. Fold in wheat mixture and mix filling until well combined.
- Roll out 1 sheet puff pastry on a lightly floured surface so it will fit into the tart pan. Place pastry in the pan and spoon filling on top. Roll out the second puff pastry sheet and cut into 3/4-inch thick strips. Layer a lattice pattern on top of the filling and brush with beaten egg.
- Bake tart in the preheated oven until filling is set and lattice is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool inside the tart pan, at least 1 hour.
- Carefully unmold tart, transfer onto a cake platter. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 721.5 calories, Carbohydrate 95.8 g, Cholesterol 143.6 mg, Fat 32.5 g, Fiber 3.6 g, Protein 15.5 g, SaturatedFat 10.8 g, Sodium 256.6 mg, Sugar 46.5 g
PASTIERA NAPOLETANA
Good things come to those who wait-three days, to be exact.
Provided by Letitia Clark
Yield Serves 8-10
Number Of Ingredients 20
Steps:
- Soak 100 g (3½ oz) farro or wheat grains (berries) in plenty of cold water, changing the water daily, for three days.
- For the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar, salt, orange zest and butter in a food processor and blitz to a fine breadcrumb consistency. Add the egg yolks to the mixer and blend again briefly, until the mixture comes together as a dough (add a tablespoon or two of iced water if the dough is still dry and does not come together). Form the dough into two equal rounds with your hands. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill in the fridge or freezer, depending on when you want to use it. It needs to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before you roll it.
- Grease a deep 23 cm (9 in) cake tin/crostata tin with butter, then dust it lightly with flour. After the dough has rested, roll it out to a rough 2 mm (1/16 in) thickness and line the cake tin, pushing the dough up the sides of the tin to create a 5-7.5 cm (2-3 in) depth and trimming any overhang. Don't worry too much about perfectly thin, even pastry. Reserve the pastry trimmings for the lattice top. Chill the pastry case in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Remove the pastry case from the fridge and blind-bake until just golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
- For the farro or wheat berries, on the third day of soaking, drain the soaked grain. Cook in a saucepan with the milk, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt over a very low heat, covered with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes until the grain is plump and tender and all the milk had been absorbed. Spread the grain out on a plate to cool completely.
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
- For the rest of the filling, whisk or beat the ricotta in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in the egg yolks. Stir in the orange zest, candied fruit, sugar, orange blossom water, vanilla and salt. Into this mixture, stir the cooled cooked wheat. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then fold them gently into the ricotta mixture.
- Pour the whole lot into the prepared pastry case. Cut the leftover pastry dough into strips about 2 cm (¾ in) wide, and arrange them over the top in a diagonal lattice. Use your fingers to press the edges of each strip into the pastry case walls to seal them.
- Brush the top of the tart with the beaten egg and bake for 90 minutes, or until biscuit brown all over.
- Let the tart cool and the filling settle, for at least 12 hours in a cool place before slicing into it. Serve, finally, with coffee and congratulations.
TIMPANO DI MACCHERONI (THE MYTHIC PASTA DOME)
Description:Notes from Mario Batali: "anyone who has seen Stanley Tucci's cinematic masterpiece, Big Night, will remember Primo's rendition of this classic, which takes its name from a large drum. My version differs from that one in many ways, but like it, it makes for a dramatic presentation. Surprisingly, it is not nearly as tricky to prepare as it looks. Except for the rigatoni, you can prepare the whole thing the day before; just blanch the pasta and assemble the dish in the afternoon before your guests arrive. It can then rest in the refrigerator for several hours before the final cooking. You will need a 4 quart metal mixing bowl for the final assembly. from s'kat: It was two years before I finally found an occasion I could whip this out for. I did all of my prep work in the weeks preceding the recipe, freezing the components as I went along. The day of the assembly, I only had to make the besciamella sauce, which took mere minutes. I also cheated, in that I! didn't make fresh pasta, I bought some from a local Italian deli. Although this didn't come out exactly perfectly, I'm posting it in the hopes that someone else who may want to make this can help me figure out the proper baking times. When I pulled it out, it wasn't warm enough in the middle. I kept it going for at least another 30 minutes, even turning up the temperature towards the end. Additionally, when I went to cut my first wedge and pull it out, the pasta collapsed when free of the dome, instead of sticking together. It still tasted incredible, and there were audible gasps when I hauled this sucker out to the dining room. It is my intention to make it at least once a year, from now on. Have fun!
Provided by skat5762
Categories One Dish Meal
Time P1DT1h30m
Yield 1 timpano
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- To make the dough: Place the flour on a wooden work surface, make a well in the top.
- Cut the lard or other fat into ¼-inch pieces and place in the center of the well with the yolks, ½ teaspoon salt, and a teaspoon of ice water.
- Mix well with the tips of your fingers to form a lumpy mass.
- Bring together as a dough and knead for 4-5 minutes.
- Wrap in plastic and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
- Roll out pasta to a large circle ¼-inch thick.
- Butter the metal bowl and dust thickly with the toasted bread crumbs.
- Line the buttered dish completely with the sheet of pasta, with a 1 ½-inch edge overhang.
- Boil 6 quarts of water in a large pasta pot, then add 2 Tablespoons of salt.
- Cook the rigatoni/ziti in the boiling water, 3 minutes less than the package instructions state.
- Drain and refresh under cold running water, or an ice bath, until cold, 2-3 minutes.
- Toss with olive oil, and set aside.
- Mix half of the cooked rigatoni/ziti with 2 ½ cups meat sauce and ½ cup of Parmiagiano, and set aside.
- Mix the remaining cooked rigatoni with half of the Besciamella, ¼ cup of Parmigiano, the prosciutto, and nutmeg.
- (Cook's Note: I probably didn't add quite as much sauce as the recipe suggests, just added enough until it looked right.) Place this besciamella-sauced rigatoni/ziti into the bowl, and press lightly.
- Sprinkle with some of the grated Parmigiano, I added a good layer.
- Arrange the meatballs on top in an even layer, and press down again.
- Sprinkle with more Parmigiano.
- Spread the meat-sauced pasta over the meatballs and press down gently.
- Fold the extra pasta over the whole thing, and press gently to seal.
- Cover the open top with foil and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, remove the foil, and invert onto a large serving platter, without removing the bowl.
- Allow to rest 10 minutes, then carefully loosen the pasta around the sides with a knife and knock with your knuckles to release the bowl.
- (Mine slid right out without a problem.) Serve immediately with the remaining shredded Parmigiano on the side, cutting the timpano into wedges to serve.
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients: Fresh eggs, good quality pasta, and flavorful fillings will make all the difference in the final dish.
- Don't overcook the pasta: The pasta should be cooked al dente, so that it still has a slight bite to it.
- Let the dish cool slightly before serving: This will allow the flavors to meld together and the pasta to firm up.
- Serve with a green salad or roasted vegetables: This will help to balance out the richness of the pasta dish.
Conclusion:
Pastiera di Maccheroni is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed year-round. With its rich flavors and creamy texture, it's sure to be a hit with your family and friends. So next time you're looking for a special meal to make, give Pastiera di Maccheroni a try. You won't be disappointed!
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