Hazelnut and Cocoa Pastiera

The pastiera is a typical Neapolitan dessert, traditionally prepared during the Easter period, but here I propose a delicious variant enriched with hazelnuts and cocoa for those who love more intense flavors and the toasted notes of hazelnuts. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• For the shortcrust pastry:

  • 300g of type 00 flour
  • 150g of cold butter, cubed
  • 100g of icing sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 30g of bitter cocoa powder

• For the filling:

  • 300g of well-drained ricotta
  • 100g of sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 200g of cooked wheat
  • 100ml of milk
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 bottle of orange blossom flavoring
  • 100g of toasted and chopped hazelnuts
  • Ground cinnamon to taste
  • A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Shortcrust pastry: Start with the shortcrust pastry by mixing the flour and cocoa in a bowl. Add the cold butter and work with your fingertips to achieve a sandy consistency. Incorporate the icing sugar, then the whole egg and the yolk, and knead until you have a homogeneous mixture. Form a ball, wrap it in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

2. In the meantime, prepare the filling: In a bowl, start working the ricotta with the sugar and whole eggs. Add the cooked wheat softened previously in the hot milk and mix well. Incorporate the lemon zest, the orange blossom flavoring, the finely chopped hazelnuts, a pinch of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Mix until you have a homogeneous filling.

3. Take the pastry from the fridge, roll out two-thirds of it on a lightly floured surface to form a disk, which will be laid in a buttered and floured pie dish.

4. Pour the filling over the pastry base and with the remaining shortcrust pastry create strips to place on the surface, making a pleasing lattice pattern.

5. Bake the pastiera in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 60 minutes or until the surface is golden brown. Remember that the pastiera needs to settle, so it’s preferable to prepare it 1-2 days before serving.

6. Let it cool completely before dusting with icing sugar.

Once ready, the hazelnut and cocoa pastiera will present a contrast of flavors between the sweetness of the ricotta, the character of the hazelnuts, and the depth of the cocoa, uniting Neapolitan tradition and a passion for chocolate.

Curiosities

Traditionally, the Neapolitan pastiera is prepared with cooked wheat and ricotta, without cocoa or hazelnuts. However, the addition of these ingredients enriches the taste and offers a new experience while maintaining the basics of the classic recipe. According to legend, the pastiera was invented by the sirens of the Gulf of Naples. The sirens would have mixed their singing with the gifts offered to them by the inhabitants of the city: cooked wheat for fertility, ricotta for abundance, eggs for rebirth, and so on, creating this exquisite dessert.