Maria's Easter (wheat) Pie/pastiera Di Grano

Total Time: 27 hrs Preparation Time: 26 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 18 ounces whole milk
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemons, rind of
• 1/2 cup finely minced candied citron peel (well rinsed and drained before mincing) (optional)
• 2 cups cooked wheat (about 1/2-3/4 pound of dry wheat should = 2 cups cooked) or 1 1/2-2 cups cooked drained arborio rice
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups sugar (cut sugar by 1/2 cup if using the citron)
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemons, rind of
• 1 lb whole milk ricotta cheese (drained if very wet)
• 1/2-3/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs or 2 extra large egg yolks
• 2 1/2-3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2-1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon, rind of

Recipe

• 1 ***preparingthe wheat: if"soaked" or"precooked" wheat is not available, dry wheat may be used.
• 2 cover the dry wheat with cold water (water should be about 2 inches over the wheat) and boil it for 15 minutes or until the wheat berries crack open.
• 3 remove pan from heat and allow wheat to soak for a full 24 hours.
• 4 after soaking, drain well before using in steps#17-19.
• 5 if"soaked"/"precooked" wheat is used, add the wheat to a pan of boiling water and cook it for about 5-10 minutes (most of the wheat berries should be open and they should be chewy but tender).
• 6 drain well, let cool and use for steps#17-19.
• 7 crust: mix flour, sugar and lemon peel together in a bowl.
• 8 work butter into flour using your fingers (until it is the size of peas).
• 9 add eggs one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.
• 10 knead the dough lightly until it holds together well and clears the bowl.
• 11 form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill it for about 1/2- 1 hour before using.
• 12 cream: fill the bottom of a double boiler with enough water so that its insert doesn't quite touch the water; bring the water to a boil.
• 13 mix the whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon peel and citron together in the insert of the double boiler which has been set in to the bottom pan.
• 14 cook the"cream," stirring constantly until it has thickened and is the consistency of a thick pudding (about 20-30 minutes).
• 15 remove the insert from the boiling water and set aside to allow the"cream" to cool, stir occasionally to keep a skin from forming.
• 16 note: i sometimes put the insert pan with the"cream" mixture into a bowl of very cold water, to help it cool down faster, don't forget to stir it.
• 17 wheat: add the (cooked, soaked, well drained) wheat to a saucepan with the milk and butter.
• 18 cook the wheat mixture, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, and mixture starts to boil; boil for 1 minute.
• 19 remove from heat and let cool.
• 20 prepare pans: on a lightly floured board, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the bottom and sides of two lightly buttered 9-inch glass cake pans.
• 21 leave a 1/2 inch overhang of dough if you are going to use the lattice top.
• 22 if not using the lattice, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch.
• 23 re-roll scraps and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips to use as a lattice top for the pie.
• 24 (if you prefer, the lattice can be omitted.) preheat oven to 350°f.
• 25 ricotta filling: mix ricotta, eggs, sugar and lemon peel together in a large bowl.
• 26 beat mixture by hand, with a wooden spoon, until smooth and creamy.
• 27 add the"cream" mixture and the wheat mixture to the ricotta filling, stirring until all is well blended.
• 28 pour or ladle the filling into prepared pans (to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pan).
• 29 for the lattice: place the strips of dough across the filling, spaced about 1 inch apart (at right angles) forming a lattice top.
• 30 fold the 1/2 inch overhang over the edges of the lattice and flute well.
• 31 if not making the lattice top, fold the 1/4 inch overhang on to itself, and lightly flute.
• 32 bake pies in a preheated 350°f oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bottom of the crust is light brown, the center is set, and the top of the pies are golden.
• 33 turn off oven and let the pies cool for an hour in the oven with the oven door slightly (about 2 inches) ajar.
• 34 remove pies from oven and place on a wire rack.
• 35 when completely cooled, cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until serving.
• 36 if you like, you can give the pie tops a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.
• 37 note: its best to served this pie directly from the pan, as trying to plate the whole pie is more trouble than its worth, and causes breakage.