Easter 2005:

"Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi," as the Italian proverb goes, "Christmas with your relatives, Easter with whomever you want". But spending time with family turns out to be the way most people choose to enjoy their Easter holiday. While spring rites are observed in all cultures, Easter in Italy is a Christian-based holiday, beginning on Palm Sunday, and culminating the following week on Easter Monday. Holy Week is celebrated in diverse ways across Italy, reflecting regional differences, with various traditions derived from religion, peasant lore, and pagan influences. At least as big a holiday as Easter Sunday itself is Pasquetta, or Little Easter, which is Easter Monday.

As with all Italian holidays, food plays a key part in the celebrations. Especially after the 40 days of fasting for the Lenten period, everyone looks forward to the traditional Easter dishes. Although the fasting is not observed as strictly as it once was, most people make some effort to cut down on meat and sweets. Because of this, the feasting on Easter Sunday commonly involves rich foods that had been eliminated during Lent.

Although the Italian Easter table varies regionally, there are some elements that can be found everywhere. Carol Field writes in her wonderful book, Celebrating Italy, that “Since 1500 the food of Easter has been the food of the Last Supper, the ultimate meal in gastronomy and history: Lamb (the symbol of Christ), bread (from grain, the gift of Demeter), and wine (the blood of the earth, Dionysius’ contribution).”

Most everyone eats baby lamb (abbacchio) or kid (capretto) flavored with rosemary and garlic. It may be roasted or grilled on a spit; cooked in a fricassee with lemon, egg yolks and parsley; served cacciatore style; or made into a sauce for pasta.

Many other savory dishes reflect the fresh green color of springtime. Fava beans, asparagus, artichokes, baby peas, spring field greens, and dandelion greens overflow the market stands. In northern Italy, pies or tortas contain ricotta and seasonal greens, the most famous of which comes from Liguria. Called “torta pasqualina,” this pastry once consisted of 33 layers of dough (one for each year of Jesus’ life) stretched as fine as phyllo pastry, and enfolding a vegetable filling with eggs. Now, one is more likely to find 12 to 18 layers of dough (see recipe).

Eggs—for good luck and to ensure eternal life

Since eggs are a symbol of hope, bringing forth new life from within their delicate shells, they are an obvious symbol of Easter. Eating an egg at the end of Lent is a proclamation of the end of a period of abstinence. Hence, eggs are featured in dishes both savory and sweet, often baked whole into these dishes, proclaiming the rebirth of life and a renewed world after the bleak winter months.

In the south of Italy, sweet and savory ricotta pies are enriched with eggs. In Boston’s North End, it wouldn’t be Easter without a savory ricotta tart called pizza rustica or pizza chiena in Neapolitan dialect (see recipe). A slightly sweet, flaky egg-enriched crust surrounds a salty filling of ricotta, Parmigiana and mozzarella cheeses, with chopped pieces of prosciutto, salami and mortadella. Also adored by the Neapolitans is a sweet ricotta Easter cake called pastiera, whose exotic ingredients are a reminder of the past, when Phoenicians, Romans, Crusaders and Arabs would come into Naples harbor with their bounty of spices and flavorings. In this somewhat labor-intensive but magnificent cake, thin, sweet flaky dough is baked with a filling of soft wheat berries (reminders of the rebirth that comes with spring) cooked in milk, and added to ricotta that has been enriched with pastry cream, flavored with cinnamon and candied orange peel, and scented with rose or orange flower water.

While the pastiera is typically Neapolitan, the columba pasquale belongs to all of Italy. This sweet bread has a dough almost identical to panettone, but it’s flavored with candied orange peel and shaped like a dove, the symbol of peace. This bread is covered with an almond glaze, decorated with whole almonds and turbinado sugar. Although this national Easter bread is made industrially in Italy and shipped all over the world, Maria’s Pastry in the neighborhood offers a homemade version.

All of the bakeries also display sweet breads decorated with icing, sugar sprinkles and whole eggs in their shells. Known as casatiello, this bread is savory and spicy in some regions of Italy, with chunks of salami and freshly ground venison, but the North End version is always sweet. This simple, sweet yeast dough can be baked into a ring or a small roll. Whole eggs in their shells are inserted into the dough before baking. These are often held in place by 2 strips of dough, symbolic of the cross. As the bread bakes, the eggs become hard cooked.

Italians rarely color hard-boiled eggs, nor do they have chocolate bunnies or pastel marshmallow chicks, but the biggest displays in bars, pastry shops, supermarkets and chocolatiers are brightly wrapped uova di Pasqua (chocolate Easter eggs) in sizes that range from robins eggs to large enough to pose problems carrying them out of the store. We find dark or milk chocolate, plain or sugar decorated. Most eggs are hollow and often have a present or surprise (sorpresa) inside. Most are produced in confectionary industries and hold candy, trinkets or costume jewelry. Some, however, are specially commissioned and hand-made by artisanal chocolatiers. As an expression of love to a family member, or as a promise to marry, these could have diamond rings, perfume, watches, airline tickets, car keys or expensive jewelry. As you wander the shops in Boston’s “Little Italy”, you’ll see these brightly colored foil-wrapped industry produced uove di Pasqua hanging from ceilings and stacked on shelves in every store.

Le pecorelle

As in Sicily, the North End pastry shop windows display enchanting Easter lambs (le pecorelle) made of marzipan (almond paste). Some are even decorated with icing, piped to look like fluffy fleece.

Whether one alone or a family of lambs on a cardboard plate, they are always seated on a green grass carpet, with a painted red bow around their necks, often holding red flags to symbolize the resurrection. These are not just pretty works of art but are, indeed, served in little morsels after Easter dinner.

Pasquetta

The celebration of Easter does not end in Italy on Easter Sunday. Little Easter, Pasquetta, or Lunedi dell'Angelo, as Easter Monday is known, is an Italian national holiday and as big an occasion as the day that precedes it. Entire cities empty out; newspapers don’t publish; everyone goes to the countryside for a ritual picnic. Tablecloths are spread out and baskets full of delectables spill out onto multiple platters with feasting continuing through the whole afternoon. Eating and relaxing in the warm spring sun and watching the herbs and plants return to life reflects a pleasure as old as life itself--eating outdoors--a wonderful welcome to spring.

Buona Pasqua!

Remember, this is a mere sampling of the Easter traditions of Italy. Just as each family has its own culinary style, so too the various regions, towns, and villages have their own signature foods. Make this holiday a tradition in your family and celebrate peace, love and a new beginning!

The only thing that Pizza Rustica has in common with pizza is the name. It’s a savory meat and cheese pie baked in a sweet egg pastry, called pasta frolla. The dish’s origin is around Naples and it’s a traditional Easter dish.

Pasta frolla
2 C flour
2 egg yolks
pinch salt
8 T butter, cut into small pieces
3 T ice water
2 T sugar

Mix all ingredients; knead briefly, preferably on a cold surface. Shape into a ball, wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling:
2 egg yolks
3/4 lb ricotta (1 1/4 C)
1/4 lb prosciutto (cured or cooked), or salami, chopped coarsely
1/4 lb mortadella, chopped
1/4 lb mozzarella, cut up in small pieces
2 T grated Parmigiano
S & P

Beat egg yolks in a bowl; add the ricotta, beat until creamy. Add the meats, cheese, S & P. Mix thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Thickly butter the inside of a 1 quart soufflé dish or ovenproof ceramic dish.

Cut off 1/3 of the pastry dough and, over wax paper, roll it into a circle large enough to line the bottom of the baking dish and come up a little on the sides. Fit into the dish. Cut off another 1/3 of the dough and roll into rectangular strips as wide as the dish is deep. Line the sides of the dish with these strips, overlapping if necessary. Smooth with your fingers and seal all the seams.

Pour all the filling into the dish. Press lightly to remove air bubbles. Roll out the rest of the dough into a disk large enough to cover the top. Place it over the filling and press the edges tightly against the side lining to form a tight seal. Trim the dough where it comes up higher than 1/2 inch above the top of the pizza; fold the rest of it down. Smooth all rough connections with a moistened finger tip.

Place in the upper level of the oven and bake 45 minutes until the top has turned a golden brown. Do not open the door during this time. If after 45 minutes the crust is not brown enough, turn up the heat to 400°F and bake for another 6-8 minutes.

When cool, serve directly from the baking dish or unmold by inverting onto a plate. Serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature. This also makes for a great picnic dish.
(Adapted from Marcella Hazan, More Classic Italian Cooking)

Torta pasqualina is an Easter specialty from Liguria, although not necessarily confined to that area. It’s a vegetable tart made with a very simple dough. The filling is usually made with ricotta cheese and spinach or artichokes, but its ingredients can be varied according to whatever vegetables are in season.

The original version is one of the most ancient Ligurian recipes, where the dough is rolled into 33 separate layers, symbolizing the age of Christ at the time of his death. The number of layers has now been reduced to 12-18--less symbolic but more practical.

Dough:
5 C flour
salt
1/4 C OO
about 1/2- 1 C warm water

Sift the flour into a bowl and add a pinch of salt, the oil, and enough lukewarm water to form a soft dough. Knead until smooth, then divide into 14 equal pieces. Shape these pieces into small rolls and place on a floured cookie sheet. Lightly sprinkle the rolls with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile prepare the filling:

Filling:
1 lb spinach or swiss chard
2- 3 leeks, washed well, green tops discarded,
    white stems cut into julienne
2 T OO and 2 T butter
S & P
1 lb ricotta, drained (*see note below)
1 egg
S & P
1/3 C heavy cream
1/3 C grated Parmigiano
1/2 tsp fresh marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

4 eggs
butter
1/3 C Parmigiano
S & P

10 inch springform pan rubbed with OO

In a large sauté pan melt about 2 T butter with 2 T OO. Add the leeks and sauté until soft. Wash the greens, remove and discard the large stems from the spinach. If you are using swiss chard, cut the stems into 2 inch lengths. Dry the greens in a salad spinner and add them to the leeks. Cover the pan and cook on low heat until wilted. Remove the cover, turn the heat on high and quickly evaporate any remaining liquid in the pan. Remove the greens to a bowl to cool; reserve.

Place the ricotta in a large bowl, add the heavy cream, one egg, Parmigiano, marjoram and nutmeg; mix until smooth and well blended. Season with S & P to taste.

Prepare the dough:
Knead 2 rolls of dough together, flatten with your hand and roll out into a wafer-thin sheet large enough to completely cover the bottom and sides of the springform pan and hang over the sides. Place into the pan, carefully forming it into the bottom with your fingers, being careful not to press so hard as to create a hole. Brush the surface of the dough with OO. Roll out another 6 rolls individually into circles the same diameter as the bottom of the pan or a little larger, then put inside the pan, one on top of the other, brushing each with OO.

Spread the spinach mixture on top of the 6th layer of dough, then make 4 hollow wells in the filling, using the back of a spoon. Break 1 egg into each hollow, then sprinkle with S & P and the remaining Parmesan.

Flatten the remaining 6 rolls of dough, then place on top of the filling, one on top of the other, brushing with OO as before. Trim the overlapping pieces of dough to about 1 inch over the rim and fold the dough toward the center, pinching to seal. Prick the top layers in a couple of spots with the tiny tip of a knife, brush with OO.

Bake the torta in a preheated 400°F oven for 1 hour until golden in color. Cool on a rack, then remove the sides of the pan. Serve at room temperature.

*NB: Ricotta that is most widely available is too wet to use in most torta recipes. There are drier varieties available; these have been drained of most of their whey. Purity Cheese distributes this variety to some stores in the North End; Fresh Cheese, 81 Endicott Street, Boston, has both the wet and dry styles of ricotta. If you cannot find the drier style, place the ricotta in a cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl (to rest and drain) in the refrigerator overnight. Discard the drained whey.

Abbacchio (suckling lamb) is one of the dishes most firmly associated with Rome. And no wonder--it’s older than Rome itself. The first Latins, living near the mouth of the Tiber, were shepherds. Lamb and mutton were the only meats they had, except for a bit of pork, now and then.

In and around Rome, whole baby lambs are roasted in the open air over spits. Open-air roasting is in fact an excuse for an excursion into the surrounding countryside for barbecue picnics. Since spit roasting is not always practical in town, abbacchio is now most often cooked in the oven. The touch that makes it most authentically Roman is rosemary in the seasoning.

Since it is quite difficult to find suckling lamb in America, we substitute young lamb leg.

5 lb leg of lamb, trimmed of its fat
OO
S & P
2-3 sprigs of rosemary
4 basil leaves or fresh parsley or marjoram
4-5 slices pancetta, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, cut in half

1 rosemary sprig, leaves removed
2 anchovy fillets
3 T OO
3-4 T wine vinegar

Coarsely chop the rosemary, basil, and pancetta. Add S & P and enough OO to make a paste. With the tip of the knife, make 6 slivers into the lamb at various places, deep enough to insert half of a garlic clove and some of the chopped herb mixture.

Rub OO all over the surface of the lamb and liberally sprinkle it with S & P.

Heat about 4 T OO in a roasting pan large enough to hold the lamb. Place the pan on top of the burner on med.-high heat and sear the lamb on all sides until brown. This will color the lamb and seal in the juices. If the lamb is too large to sear on top of the stove, set the lamb in a 450°F preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.

After searing the lamb, roast it in a 350°F oven on the middle rack, basting with OO until tender. Medium-rare will be 130°F and should take about 1 1/4 hrs.

As soon as the lamb is done, remove it from the oven and place on a platter to rest. It should rest for about 15-20 minutes to reabsorb the juices.

Meanwhile, prepare the pan juices:
Skim the fat out of the roasting pan; add the rosemary, anchovy, 3 T OO and the wine vinegar. Place the roasting pan over med. heat and with a wooden spoon, scrape the caramelized bits of meat into the pan juices and added flavorings. Simmer and season to taste with S & P.

Carve the lamb into thin slices, arrange on a warmed platter and serve immediately with the pan juices.