Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday, and I like to celebrate, rather than the religious holiday itself, that everyone feels in his own way, the huge variety of Italian culinary holidays tradition, including Easter.
So, asking myself which dish represents Easter for me, I realized that it's not Easter cake (in Italian Torta Pasqualina), lamb, casatiello (another Campanian traditional dish for Easter) or Sicilian cassata: Easter for me is Neapolitan Pastiera. Not because it's part of my culinary background, but because on Easter, whenever arrives to me from a Campanian friend's home a slice of Pastiera, that's where the Easter party really starts for me.
The appearance of an harmless jam tart, its fragrant short pastry shell and, hidden, a soft filling which orange blossom and cinnamon scents. And the taste?! The delicacy of cooked wheat and ricotta cheese, the sweetness of candied fruits … if I talk about Pastiera a little more I swear I'm going to cut another slice!
In short, we are not talking about a home tradition, but we are certainly talking about a great Italian tradition which, although geographically distant from me, I feel mine! So, this is not a recipe handed down from grandmother to granddaughter, but it's a trustworthy recipe, and my trust has been amply rewarded!
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