Pastiera di Pasqua (Easter Ricotta Cake)

Ingredients:

1l whole milk
115g arborio rice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
250g granulated sugar
1.35kg ricotta cheese, drained over night in a fine-meshed sieve lined with muslin (or you can use my home-made ricotta cheese recipe to prepare your own)
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
icing sugar, for dusting
strawberry sauce or raspberry sauce, to accompany

Method:

Place the milk in a large saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high heat. At this point stir in the rice, cinnamon, salt and vanilla pod.

Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for about 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in 150g of the granulated sugar. Cover the pot with a lid and set aside to cool, stirring the contents occasionally to prevent them from becoming claggy.

Once cooled, remove the vanilla pod (stick this into a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar). Turn the rice mixture into a large bowl, then fold in the ricotta cheese, eggs and the remaining sugar. Carefully mix everything together with a rubber spatula.

Pour the resultant mixture into a greased and floured 20cm diameter springform cake tin. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C and bake for about 50 minutes. At this time cover with a sheet of kitchen foil and continue cooking for about 15 minutes more ore until the cake is golden brown on top and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin until completely cold.

To unmould the cake, loosen the rim then run a knife around the edge. Gently remove the ring and transfer the cake to a serving plate.

Dust the top with icing sugar and serve at room temperature, accompanied by the red berry sauce.