This is a very old Neapolitan dessert, made at Easter time.
1 1/4 lbs flour
10 oz sugar
10 oz shortening
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp Vermouth
Gather all ingredients without working dough too much.
Form two balls and let rest in refrigerator for 1/2 hour to 1
hour.
This recipe calls for arborio rice, which is readily available in North America. In Naples they use wheat kernels instead. Many grocery stores in South Italy sell cans of precooked wheat for this recipe.
1/2 lb Italian arborio rice
2 cups water
1/2 litre hot milk
1.2 tsp salt
Rind of 1 lemon
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Cook rice in water for 15 minutes. Long grain rice is unsuitable
for this recipe.
Dump any water left. Add very hot milk, salt, lemon rind,sugar
and cinnamon.
Cook until all milk has been absorbed. Remove rind and let the
rice cool down.
1 1/4 lb ricotta
1 1/2 cups fruit sugar
6 egg yolks
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp cognac or brandy
1/2 lb candied fruit
Mix together ricotta and fruit sugar by hand.
Add, one at a time, the egg yolks with cinnamon, cognac and
candied fruit, mixing well after each addition.
Whip 4 egg whites to firm peaks.
Fold all items together, carefully.
Preheat oven at 375 F.
Butter two 8" springform pans (or one 10"), line with dough, fill
with rice mix, then cover with a lattice of dough.
Bake at 375 F for 1 hour and let it cool down in the pans.
Before serving, at room temperature, sprinkle with icing
sugar.
NOTE:Some maraschino cherries cut in half can be used for
decoration.