My Great Aunt Mary served me a slice of this delicious pie many years ago and when I asked her for the recipe she handed me what looked like a business card with a short list of ingredients written on it. She told me that the hardest part of the recipe is finding the wheat berries. She was right of course, it is a simple recipe and wheat berries were rare. But now, years later, you can find them in just about any grocery store or vegetable market. Her recipe made two deep dish pies so I cut it in half and added some baking instructions and a crust for the recipe at the bottom of this post.
Many Italian Americans make a version of this sweet dessert during Easter. Ricotta, eggs, chocolate, cherries and not very much sugar balance the citrus taste that comes from what I’m sure is my Aunt Mary’s hack. She uses orange juice in place of the orange and lemon zest that most wheat pie recipes specify. It goes great with espresso or other strong coffees.
Give this one a try and let us know what you think. Or maybe your family have a favorite pie that you make during Easter. Please share!
Italian Easter Wheat Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 Cup Cold Butter
- 3 Tbsp Cold Water
- 1 Tbsp White Vinegar
- 1 Each Egg
Wheat Berries
- ⅓ Cup Wheat Berries
Filling
- 1½ Lbs Ricotta Cheese
- 3 Each Eggs
- ⅓ Cup Grated Chocolate
- ⅓ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¾ Cup Cooked Wheat Berries
- 6 Each Maraschino Cherries (Chopped)
- 1 Tbsp Orange Juice Powdered Sugar For Dusting Pie
- Powdered Sugar For Dusting Pie
Instructions
Crust
- Mix flour and butter together with a fork or two knives until small pea-sized balls form.
- In separate bowl beat together the egg, water and vinegar. Reserve small amount of egg, adding a small amount of water to brush on top of dough just before cooking. This is called an egg wash.
- Combine all ingredients (except for the reserved egg wash) and mix until a dough ball forms then cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove 2/3 of dough and roll out to a 15 inch circle. Transfer to 11 inch pie pan.
- Roll remaining dough to a 13 inch circle then slice into 1½” strips. Cover with a dry towel and set aside.
Wheat Berries
- Add wheat berries to 3 quarts salted boiling water and simmer 30 – 40 minutes or until tender.
- Drain wheat berries and allow to cool to room temperature.
Pie
- Beat eggs and add all other filling ingredients except for powdered sugar and mix thoroughly.
- Transfer filling to pie dough. Use pie dough strips to create lattice top. Crimp top edge to create fluted design.
- Brush egg wash on top of lattice and fluted edge.
- Bake in oven preheated at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until nicely browned.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cool or refrigerate and serve.