Vegan pastiera recipe. Legend has it that the creator of this delight is the mermaid Parthenope herself. And the pastiera, Neapolitan Easter cake par excellence. There are several schools of thought on his recipe. There are those who use the already cooked corn in a jar, those who prefer to do it themselves, those who love it without candied fruit, those who don't. I have relied on recipe from my friend Alessandra but, of course, I "veganized" it and the result was amazing.
Here then, for those who want to celebrate one Easter without cruelty that celebrates life in every sense, the vegan pastiera recipe (without candied fruit, which I really don't like!). So arm yourself with a great desire to stay in the kitchen and roll up your sleeves: it will be worth it. Cooking is believing!
Index
INGREDIENTS SHORT PASTRY
- 300 gr flour
- 100 gr brown sugar
- 120 ml of organic soy milk
- 70 ml of olive oil
- 1 pinch of baking soda
FILLED INGREDIENTS
- 250 gr of cooked wheat
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
- 300 gr brown sugar (50 for the custard, 250 for the tofu cream)
- zest of one lemon (half for the custard, half for the cream of wheat)
- 400 gr soy milk (200 gr for the custard, 200 gr for the cream of wheat)
- 30 gr organic soy butter
- 2 tablespoons of organic vanilla powder (one for the cream of wheat, one for that of tofu)
- 250 gr tofu
- cinnamon
- orange water
- (100 grams of candied fruit, optional)
PREPARATION
Shortbread
Place the flour in a fountain, put the oil and sugar in the center. Work by combining the sugar and oil first, then gradually incorporating the flour. Add the milk and finally the baking soda. Mix well and thoroughly until the mixture is homogeneous and smooth. Shape into a ball and leave to rest in the fridge for 40 minutes.
Vegan custard
In a non-stick pan, mix 2 tablespoons of potato starch and 50 grams of brown sugar. Put on the heat over low heat, adding 200 g of soy milk a little at a time, always continuing to mix with a wooden spoon. Add the zest of half a lemon and bring to a boil, over low heat and continuing to stir. When the cream thickens, turn off and let cool.
Wheat cream
Pour the precooked wheat, 200 g of soy milk, 30 g of soy butter, the zest of half a lemon and the vanillin into a saucepan. Boil everything over low heat, stirring until a thick cream without lumps is obtained. Once ready, allow to cool.
Tofu cream
Pass through a vegetable mill 250 gr of natural tofu and mix with a whisk (also electric) together with 250 grams of brown sugar, working the mixture well. Then add a teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 vial of orange water and a sachet of vanillin.
Now gently add the custard to the tofu cream until they are combined. Add the mixture thus obtained to the cream of wheat (optionally also incorporate 100 grams of candied fruit).
Once the cream of wheat it will have cooled, add the tofu cream to it and mix well. Then roll out the shortcrust pastry, taking care to keep a small amount aside to prepare the strips that will be used for decoration. Line a round pan 28 cm in diameter with the shortcrust pastry disc. Pour the filling into the pan and even the edges of the pastry well.
With the dough kept aside, cut strips about 1,5 cm wide using a pastry wheel with a serrated blade. Decorate the surface of the pastiera, intersecting them.
Gently brush the strips with soy milk and bake everything at 180 ° for about an hour, and in any case until the surface is golden. When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan itself. Once cold, gently unmold and sprinkle with icing sugar. I recommend preparing it a few days in advance to allow all the aromas to blend well. In fact, after three or four days, its flavor improves considerably.
And here is the vegan version of the emblem of Neapolitan cuisine par excellence, the pastiera, a delicious and indispensable dessert with an unmistakable citrus scent.
