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Easter Wheat Pie

Source of Recipe

Nanny Grace Adams


List of Ingredients

2 cups flour -- sifted
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt
1/4 cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon milk

Filling
1 can wheat
1/4 cup milk -- scalded
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup citron -- diced, optional
1/4 orange peel -- diced
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
6 eggs -- separated
1 teaspoon orange water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Mix flour, salt and sugar. Cut in butter evenly through flour mixture. Stir in egg yolks, one at a time. Work until dough is manageable. Add milk. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth. Form into a ball and chill for 30 minutes. Divide the ball in half, roll on lightly floured board to about 1/8 inch thick (large enough to line a deep 10 inch pie plate). Butter pie plate and line with pastry, leaving 1/2 inch overhang. Roll
out other piece of dough and cut into 3/4 inch strips for lattice topping.

For the filling:

In the scalded milk, mix wheat, salt and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add citron and orange peel; set aside. To prepare filling, beat ricotta and sugar, then add egg yolks, vanilla and orange water, blend well. Stir in prepared wheat and fold in beaten egg whites. Pour into pie shell. Arrange lattice topping over filling, flute the edge. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until firm in center. Let cool in oven with door
open. Refrigerate. To serve dust with confectioners sugar.

NOTES: 1.
Wheat can be purchased by the ounce in our supermarkets as well as Italian specialty stores. For this recipe, use 2 1/2 ounces or 1/2 cup. Simmer wheat with 1 cup water and the peeled rind of one orange about 35 minutes until it resembles cooked barley. Drain and use in above recipe.

NOTES: 2.
When I have been in a hurry or bogged down with holiday cooking, I have made a lazy man's version of this pie. I have used Pillsbury pie crusts; the type that are folded and sold near the dairy case. No one seemed to notice the difference.

Also, I did not buy the orange water which I knew I would not use. I used a tablespoon of orange juice or concentrate in place of the orange water.


Recipe