The Italian rice pie is one of the most famous variations of the famous pies of Italy. Find out how you can start off by making your own Italian rice pie as we take a look at its origins and simple recipe to get started with.
The Italian rice pie is yet another culinary delight that stems from the Easter traditions in Italy. The country has a rich regional diversity in its cuisine and the Italian pie is just another classic example of the vastness of the Italian cuisine. Each dish in Italy has a hundred different variations and ways of cooking it. This particular variation of the Italian pie originates from the city that brought us pizza; Naples. This is one of the most famous variations of the pie and is much loved in and out of the country.
The reason why the rice pie is really famous is because of its neutrality. It is a dish that is enjoyed by the young and old alike. No matter what your particular likings and dislikings are when it comes to food you are bound to enjoy the Italian rice pie. This exquisite dish is a sweet tasting light treat that is ideal to serve with a family feast or even one off in order to enjoy. If you are not very Italian then you can enjoy it whenever you like other wise Italians have their own traditions regarding each food item that they produce.
What lies inside the pie?
Depending on the size of the pie you will need some eggs for the Italian rice pie. You will also need an adequate amount of ricotta cheese which is a very important ingredient in the pie. Other important items are just a little bit of vanilla extract for the essence, some heavy whipping cream, can- crushed pineapple and of course some cooked white rice because after all it is a rice pie that you will be making.
The Italian rice pie in the making
To start off you will need to break all your eggs into one bowl and beat them thoroughly. To this you will add the sugar and mix it nicely to completely dissolve it in. Then you will add the cheese and about a table spoon of vanilla extract for the essence and stir it until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Once this has been achieved you will ad the heavy cream and stir it to mix it in. Then comes the part where you will be required to add the rice. You will do this by folding in the cooked rice and the crushed pineapple together. Your basic mix is ready and now all you have to do is bake it.
Baking the Italian rice pie will require you to preheat the oven at 325 degrees. The average size of the pie is about 9 x 13 inch and you can use a butter pan for this purpose. The pie should be nicely baked at the stated temperature for about an hour. To check whether your pie is ready you can insert a clean knife in to the center to find out. The sign that the pie is done is that the knife comes out of the pie as clean as it went in. Another sign is the color of the top which should be golden brown. Your Italian rice pie is now ready but you should refrigerate it so that you can serve it when it’s cool.
