Easter Pie

Ricotta and rice Easter Pie is an essential dish within many Italian kitchens. Tradition states that Catholics, and many Christians, observed a meatless Lenten season (six weeks of fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial and spiritual discipline before Easter). This Easter Pie respects tradition and is filled with ricotta cheese, short-grained rice, vanilla and orange zest.

Elements

3/4 C Powdered Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 T Madagascar Bourbon or Mexican Vanilla Extract

1 T Orange Zest

15-Ounce Container Ricotta Cheese

1/2 C Short-Grained Rice, cooked

1/3 C Pine Nuts, toasted

6 Fresh or Frozen Phyllo (filo) Dough Sheets, thawed if frozen

1 Stick Unsalted Butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.

2. In a food processor, add powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and orange zest; blend until smooth.

3. Add pine nuts and cooked rice to blended mixture; stir well and set aside.

4. Lightly butter a 9" pie dish, preferably glass as the phyllo is too pretty to hide.

5. Lay one sheet of phyllo over the bottom and up the sides of the dish, allowing it to hang over the sides; brush thoroughly with melted butter using a pastry brush.

6. Add a second layer of phyllo dough, laying it in the opposite directions as the first sheet; brush with melted butter.

7. Continue layering the remaining sheets of phyllo, alternating directions of the layers and brushing with melted butter, until the entire bottom of the pie dish is covered in all of the phyllo sheets.

8. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the phyllo dough.

9. Fold the overhanging phyllo dough over the top of the filling to enclose it completely; brush completely with melted butter.

10. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the filling is set, and transfer to a cooling rack.

11. Sift confectioners sugar over the top and serve once completely cooled and set.

xo, Melissa