Pastiera di Grano + The Only Other Rack I Love More Than My Own

*This piece was originally written in April of 2010 before I knew how to take photos and when I cooked feverishly and from the heart to relive every meal I ate as a child and transformed as an adult

Today is Easter Sunday - and I’m also approaching the one year anniversary of my re-constructed rack. So, it was only right to share tonight’s dinner with Channon - as she’s one of the many women who was there when I needed help the most. My boobs are tops, in my book, but they’re not meant for glazing or roasting.
So, the only other rack for me is - you guessed it - that of a lamb. Give it to me pink, and let me suck on the bones until there’s no flavor left.  Then, let me go in for one more gnaw - just to be sure I didn’t miss a stray bit of meat. At Easter, lamb was our thing, and I waited all year for it. Kinda how a kid waits for Santa Clause, that’s how I waited for lamb. My grandma used to prepare some part of the lamb.  I don’t know what cut it was, to be honest, but it was good.  Good would be an understatement. And at 29, I can still picture juicy pieces of goodness, stewing in a roasting pan with potatoes in the oven.

I’d be sitting in church, in some baby blue or heinous, bright colored, floral print dress (that was too tight on me) - fantasizing about Easter dinner. I was 7 and I had fantasies about food. And, I’m guesstimating age here, but in my 7th or 8th year of life,  my parents thought it would be motivational to help me lose weight by giving me a fruit basket - instead of a real candy filled Easter basket. I vividly remember walking out of my bedroom and into the dining room - where I saw three large, pastel colored cellophane wrapped baskets perfectly placed on the table.

I could only see the back of the baskets.

I ran behind the dining room table, knocked on Louie and Tommy’s bedroom door and told them to come out.

Together, we raced back to the dining room table (fyi: the dining room table was literally located right in front of our bedrooms - so all of this knocking and racing took about 10 seconds)  and assumed our positions in front of our baskets, respectively.

Big name cards told us where to stand:

THOMAS 
LOUIS
TINA

Tommy and Louie tore theirs open in eager fulfillment of a candy coated dream. Giant baskets filled with Reese’s eggs, Butterfinger minis, assorted Hershey’s minis, jelly beans, Starbursts … I could go on …

But me. Well, I got Delmonte fruit cups, Welch’s fruit snacks and whole oranges.

So, of course I was sitting in church thinking about food.

FRUIT CUPS … IN AN EASTER BASKET!

This morning, I had fruit for breakfast - but that was my own choice. And, although I’m not making my grandma’s lamb (that’s still untouchable - at this point) I will glaze a rack.bI will drink wine. I will make her grain pie. I did cheat by using jarred wet wheat and a ready made shell. But it was easier and just as delicious as my memory allowed it to be.

Rosemary Dijon Marinade for Leg of Lamb
1 x 3 pound leg of lamb
1-2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 cup of dijon mustard (I prefer whole grain)
3/4 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

*Note: you can easily make this marinade in a bowl, using a whisk and finely chopped herbs. I opted for the food process for ease of chopping

—In a food processor fit with a steel blade add rosemary, garlic and salt and pulse for 30 seconds
—Add dijon mustard, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pulse until the dijon mustard, oil an vinegar are thoroughly mixed with the herbs
—Make tiny slits or x’s on the leg of lamb (so the marinade can seep in) and cover the lamb with the marinade
—Let rest for at least one hour or up to 3 hours before cooking
—Preheat oven to 425 degrees and cook lamb for 15-20 minutes until outside is brown and slightly crispy
—Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and cook until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 130 degrees on a meat thermometer — this should take anywhere from 25-30 minutes depending upon your oven (generally lamb cooks at about 16-20 minutes per pound if you’d like it to be medium rare)
—Remove from the oven and let the roast rest, covered in foil, for 15 minutes
—Cut the lamb into slices and serve with sides of your choice

Roasted Vegetable Orzo Salad
*adapted from Ina Garten: I add extra veggies, use ½ the amount of orzo, eliminated the feta, scallions and the dressing to make this lighter. In my opinion, the vegetables use so much oil for roasting— I find that the lemon juice really brightens this salad when everything is tossed together— no additional oil necessary

Ingredients
2 red bell peppers, de-seeded and cut in to 1” cubes
2 yellow peppers, de-seeded and cut in to 1” cubes
2 orange peppers, de-seeded and cut in to 1” cubes
1 large red onion, cut into 1” pieces
1 large eggplant, cut into 1” cubes
1 bulb of garlic, roasted - recipe below
¼ lb. orzo
8 tablespoons of olive oil, divided to roast the eggplant, peppers, onions and bulb of garlic
Juice of 2 lemons
½ cup toasted pignoli nuts
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
—Preheat oven to 425 degrees
—Place eggplant on a baking sheet and toss with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper
—Place peppers and onions on a baking sheet and toss with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper
—Cut the top off of a whole bulb of garlic, place on the corner/side of the roasting tray with either the eggplant or peppers and onions — drizzle the bulb with 2 tablespoons of olive oil
—Roast for 45 minutes, tossing vegetables and turning trays halfway through
-Set vegetables aside
-Cook orzo
-Add orzo to the roasted vegetables, pignoli nuts, roasted garlic and toss together with lemon juice - add salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary

Pastiera di Grano
makes 2 pies
they freeze well - so stock up for an impromptu summer slumber party 

Ingredients for the pie crust (shhhh- we’re going pre-made)
2 deep dish pie crusts, preferred Oronoque Orchards Flaky or Marie Callender’s deep dish
1 box (2 rolls) pie crust, preferred Pillsbury Ready to Bake Pie Crust - to be used for latticing cup prepared

Ingredients for the filling
1 x 2 pound container of whole milk ricotta, drained
1 1/3 cup of sugar
6 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
1 teaspoon of orange extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
1 x 20.5 oz (580g) jar of wheat grain “granno cotto”
5-6 tablespoons of candied citron
5 egg whites beaten stiff

Instructions for making the pie filling, assembling and baking
—Place the ricotta in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, along with the sugar, egg yolks, orange and lemon zest, vanilla, orange blossom water and orange extract – mix well until smooth
—Add the wheat grain and continue to mix until well incorporated, mix in citron and put aside
—Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the ricotta/grain mixture to complete the filling and set the bowl aside
—Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter two 9” or 10” glass pyrex pie dishes
—Flour a large surface or baking board and begin rolling the larger piece of dough"
—Roll it out to a circle as large as the circumference of your pie dish and the dough should be ⅛ to a ¼ inch thick
—Using the rolling pin to gently lift the dough from your floured surface, lay the dough and pin on top of the pie dish and unfurl the rolling pin – there should be some dough hanging over the sides but a lot is not necessary
—Pour half of the ricotta/grain filling into the prepared dish and set aside
—Begin rolling the smaller piece of dough on your floured surface, aiming to roll the dough 10-12” long and cut into 1”  using a pizza cutter or sharp knife
—Lay 4-6 strips of dough over the pie, trying to leave even spacing in between
—Repeat and cut another 4-6 strips of dough and lay them crosswise over the other strips to complete your “lattice” topping
—Using your fingertips in a little bit of water, seal the lattice strips to the dough hanging from your pie dish – trim excess dough
—Repeat the same steps to create the shell, fill and lattice your second pie
—Bake the pies for approximately 1 hour and 8 minutes or slightly longer or until the center or the pie is set (a little movement is ok) and the crust is a deep golden brown
—Cool at room temperature and refrigerate overnight with a paper towel over the top of the pie – the following day you can wrap the pie with plastic wrap
—Take out to serve at room temperature when you’re ready for dessert
—Pies can also be frozen whole or in slices, using plastic wrap, foil and ziplock bags to keep them fresh
—The pie will keep for 3-6 months to be reheated and enjoyed