Sweets for Easter and Beyond

This week in Titina's kitchen--wonderful smells of baking as half a dozen Pastiera Napoletana cooled on the counter. An ancient tradition in the Naples region where Titina grew up, these ricotta filled tarts have long been associated with Easter Italy.


Like Titina, Neapolitan cooks typically make the Pastiera a few days ahead to allow the citrus and cinnamon flavors to develop. Check out this previous blog post, if you'd like to make this spring-time classic at home.


Or consider something a little easier and lighter. Titina's Lemoncello Capri Cake is the desert she will be making when she returns to her classroom-kitchen on Monday night. Simple and delicious, it is made with olive oil and showcases the lemon favors her home island is famous for.


This cake would be fantastic served with some of the season's fresh strawberries.



Torta Caprese al Limoncello
Limoncello Capri cake


Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 ½ cup almonds
4 ounces white chocolate
¾ cup CapriFlavors extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon liqueur
1 fresh lemon, grated as zest or a few drops of lemon oil
¼ cup plain water


Preparation: 20 minutes; Cooking Time: 50 minutes; Level of difficulty: Simple


Grease a 9” or 10” pan with olive oil, sprinkle with flour, and line with wax paper. Cut up chocolate with a large knife very coarsely. Coarse cut almonds in blender, not fine. Set both chocolate and almonds aside.


Beat sugar and eggs together for about 4 minutes, and then add coarse cut almonds and chocolate very slowly. Add 1 Tbsp. lemon liqueur and the grated zest of lemon. Turn mixer to slow and slowly add the olive oil and water little by little. Pour mixture into pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 1 hour. Garnish as desired.

A Taste of Spring--Pastiera Napoletana

In the dark old days refined sugar and flour were in short supply. These precious commodities were entrusted to convents where nuns did special baking to commemorate the church calendar. That's why many of Italy's traditional breads and sweets are associated with religious orders and Saint's days, Christmas and Easter time.

Titina's traditional Easter cake has even older origins. Pastiera Napoletana dates to ancient Roman celebrations of spring in Southern Italy. Flavored with orange blossoms, candied fruits and cinnamon, it is named for the City of Naples, that great, crazy, town across the bay from Titina's home island of Capri. Here's how she makes this cooking class favorite, a sweet celebration of all things spring.

-Titina’s Recipe-
Pastiera Napoletana
Italian Easter Cake


Ingredients:
1 cup spelt (wheat grain) already cooked
1 cup milk
Zest of ½lemon peel
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup candied fruit; i.e. citron peel, cherries, finely diced
3 cups ricotta cheese
3 eggs yolks
4 eggs
½Tbsp orange blossom extract
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

For the Pastry dough:
2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
15 Tbsp lard or butter
3 egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar

Serves: 12; Preparation time: 30minutes; Cooking Time: 60 minutes; Level of Difficulty: Medium

Mix the grain with the milk, grated lemon peel, cinnamon, and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the finely diced candied fruit into the ricotta. Add the remaining sugar, eggs, grain mixture, and orange extract.

For the pastry dough:
Heap the flour onto the work surface. Make a well in the center of the flour into which you will put the butter broken pieces-softened not melted, the sugar and the egg yolks. Work with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Knead briefly until the dough comes together.
Roll out three-quarters of the dough to line a 9-inch buttered and lightly floured spring-form pan. Pour in the ricotta filling. Roll out the remaining dough, cut into strips and lay over the filling in a latticework design. Bake in the oven at 350°F for about an hour until it turns golden. Allow the cake to cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.