Growing up in an Italian American home, Easter was never just about the chocolate bunnies, yellow marshmallow ducks or jelly beans—it was about food traditions that started in southern Italy and took form outside of Boston in Ma’s kitchen. Ricotta Pie is one of the traditions that I still follow to this day.
Ma is my maternal grandmother from Avellino in Campania. Her grandchildren called her Ma, short for Mamma, in fact my friends called her Ma too. She was a mother figure to many. Ma, Mom and my Aunts made every holiday special. Easter was no exception.
Our Italian American Easter menu started with colored eggs served with prosciutto and salami and pizza ripiena to break 40 days of Lent. A fowl and spring dandelion soup came next followed by roast leg of lamb with string beans, stuffed mushrooms and potatoes. And then dessert…
Before I can remember Pastiera Napoletana was baked along with Ma’s Ricotta Pie or pizza dolce. Have you ever tasted ricotta pie? Imagine slightly sweetened ricotta cheese with orange and lemon zest encased in a buttery crust. Ma would fold in grated milk chocolate. The pie was simply perfect.
I remember watching Ma working away. I sat at the kitchen table or on a stool next to the stove, and talked with her as she moved around the room effortlessly. She never rushed – cooking was love. I would sit there for hours.
Ma left us over 20 years ago. I have her recipes with me in a handwritten book. One bite brings me back to her kitchen table. I invite you to bring a little piece of my Italian American ricotta pie into your home at Easter this year:
Here is Ma’s recipe (adapted by me)
Ingredients for the filling
1 lb ricotta
1 cup sugar
peel from 1 orange and 1 lemon cut into thin matchsticks
4 medium size eggs
chopped milk chocolate, or dark chocolate to taste (optional)
Ingredients for the crust
2 Tbsp. butter, plus extra to grease the pan
1/4 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Mix filling; beat eggs, add in sugar and mix. Add ricotta, gently fold in. Add orange and lemon peel and chocolate. Whisk until incorporated and nearly smooth. Set filling aside.
Preheat the oven to 350°F if using a ceramic dish; 325°F if using a glass pie dish.
Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or with an electric mixer. Add egg yolks and mix. Add flour and baking powder a little at a time until incorporated. Finally, mix in milk and vanilla. Set dough aside covered with a damp tea towel.
Grease pie dish with butter. Roll out 3/4 of the crust to 1/8″ thick, and line the pie dish with it. Pour ricotta filling into pie crust.
Roll out remaining dough and cut into 1/4–1/2″ wide strips. Place strips over the filling in a crosshatch pattern. Gently press edges to seal with a fork or your fingertips.
Bake for 1 hour or until golden, and a toothpick comes out moist. If you like, dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Once baked, let the pie sit overnight to allow the flavors to meld. It can also be frozen.
Buona Pasqua to you and your loved ones—may your Easter be filled with warmth, joy, and something sweet from the heart.
