RECIPES: Regional Italian recipes for a festive Easter feast
Dreaming of foreign travel? For me, it’s Italy, but since I can’t be there at the moment, I’m inviting Italy to my Easter table.
In Italy, Easter is known as Pasqua and is the second most celebrated religious holiday after Christmas. After 40 days of fasting and abstinence during Lent, Easter menus across the country celebrate spring bounty.
While much of Italy celebrates Easter with a roast leg or shank of lamb, Rome and the Lazio region of Italy celebrate with family recipes for Easter Lamb Stew (Agnello Brodettato) featuring tender meat slow-simmered in white wine. Onions are sauteed with minced pancetta before browning the lamb. Slightly tricky, but worth the effort, is finishing the dish with a rich, luscious and unforgettable sauce made from egg yolks, pecorino Romano and lemon juice.
Easter Spinach Pie (Torta Pasqualina) is a timeless dish hailing from the Liguria region of northern Italy. The savory spinach pie is encased in layers of puff pastry, considered to be a representation of the 33 years of Jesus’ life. Rich ricotta cheese combined with chopped spinach and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano makes for a hearty dish. Hidden in the filling are four whole eggs which are beautifully revealed when serving a slice.
Nearly every region of Italy prepares its own version of Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua). Colomba di Pasqua, similar to panettone but with candied fruits instead of raisins, is popular in the Lombardy region. Casatiello, popular in Naples, is a savory bread stuffed with salami, pancetta and cheese. Here I’m sharing the recipe for sweet and aromatic braided wreaths common at Easter in Umbria. Enriched with eggs, butter and citrus zest, they symbolize the crown of thorns, resurrection and new life and are a sweet treat at the table.
My love for Italy will be on full display this spring with these regional specialties.
RECIPES
These recipes for lamb stew, spinach pie and candied bread are regional Italian dishes served at Easter. While this holiday meal is often served at midday in Italy, these dishes are delicious for supper as well.
During the Middle Ages, eggs were prohibited throughout the Lenten season. Now, eggs appear in most Italian Easter recipes, symbolizing new life and rebirth.
Easter Lamb Stew (Agnello Brodettato)
Agnello Brodettato is featured on Easter tables in the Lazio region of Italy (west central Italy, including Rome). The white wine-simmered stew is finished by enhancing the liquid with egg yolks, cheese and lemon to create a piquant, silky and luxurious sauce.
If substituting bacon for pancetta, omit the olive oil in the first step.
- 2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped, or 3 pieces uncooked bacon, chopped
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 cup dry white wine, divided
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino-Romano cheese
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 1 lemon, sliced into thin rounds
- Heat a large braiser or stew pot over medium heat. Add pancetta, onion and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook until onion is translucent and very soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to a bowl. Set aside. Do not wipe the rendered fat from the pot.
- Whisk together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish. Toss lamb cubes in the seasoned flour and add to the fat left in the pot, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil if needed to prevent sticking. With the pot still over medium heat, brown the lamb slightly on all sides, turning cubes as needed.
- Turn the heat to low and return the onions to the pot. Add 1/4 cup white wine to the pot, scraping up and tossing the meat and onion occasionally, until most of the wine evaporates and the sauce has thickened, about 25 minutes. Add remaining wine and the water. Cover and cook until the lamb is very tender, about 40 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Lightly beat the egg yolks together with the cheese, lemon juice and all but 1 teaspoon parsley in a small bowl. Temper egg mixture by adding a couple of tablespoons of the warm lamb juices from the pot to the eggs, stirring vigorously to prevent curdling of the eggs. Test the temperature of the mixture and if it doesn’t feel warm, add another spoonful or two of the warm liquid. Pour the egg mixture over the lamb in the pot and stir until sauce is thick and silky. The residual heat of the pot should thicken the sauce. If not, turn the heat to low and stir until thickened, another minute or two. When sauce is thickened, transfer the stew to a serving dish and top with remaining parsley. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve hot.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 6: 841 calories (percent of calories from fat, 73), 45 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 67 grams total fat (27 grams saturated), 242 milligrams cholesterol, 807 milligrams sodium.
Easter Spinach Pie (Torta Pasqualina)
Easter tables in the Liguria region of Italy (Genoa, Sanremo) feature this savory pie. Frozen puff pastry and frozen chopped spinach make this dish easy to assemble. For the prettiest presentation, press four equidistant wells into the filling for the eggs.
- For the pie crust and filling:
- 1 package frozen puff pastry
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 (12-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 5 large eggs, divided
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
- For the egg wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons water
- Defrost the puff pastry. Drain the ricotta cheese in a strainer over a bowl. Cook spinach according to package directions, cool and squeeze dry.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and onion and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the onion, garlic and spinach to a large bowl and break apart the spinach. Stir in the drained ricotta cheese, 1 egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Unfold one of the puff pastry sheets, and gently roll it into a 14-inch square on a lightly floured surface. Drape the puff pastry sheet over a 9 to 10-inch pie plate and cut away any extra dough hanging more than 1 inch over the edge. Unfold and gently roll out the second puff pastry sheet so that it is large enough to cover the top of the pie with a 1-inch overhang. Set the second sheet aside.
- Fill the puff pastry-lined pie plate with the spinach mixture and spread it evenly. Using the back of a spoon, create 4 egg-shaped wells evenly spaced into the spinach mixture. Break one egg into each well. Cover the pie with the second pastry sheet, making slight notches in the edges of the top pie crust indicating where each egg is located so that the pie can be sliced to reveal the cooked egg. Press down gently around the edge of the pie to seal, and trim the overhang to 1 inch. Fold the edges towards the pie. If desired, make a decorative edge using your fingers or the tines of a fork, being mindful that the notches remain.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. When ready to bake, cut a small hole with a sharp knife in the center of the pie. Prepare the egg wash by lightly beating the egg yolk with the water in a small bowl. Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash.
- Place the baking sheet with the pie in the oven and bake until the top is browned and the filling is hot, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack and allow to cool. While the pie is cooling, the filling will set, making it easier to cut neat slices. Find the notches for the eggs when cutting the pie to reveal the hidden egg inside.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 457 calories (percent of calories from fat, 58), 18 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total sugars, 4 grams fiber, 30 grams total fat (14 grams saturated), 178 milligrams cholesterol, 714 milligrams sodium.
Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)
This Easter bread (Pane di Pasqua) is a specialty of the Umbria region of Italy. It is made with a soft and fluffy sweet dough flavored with orange zest and vanilla braided into wreaths. Dyed Easter eggs are used to decorate the centers of each wreath, but are removed before eating.
- For the dough:
- 1 (2 1/4 teaspoons) package active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed, divided
- Neutral oil, for coating dough
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 hard-boiled dyed eggs
- For the egg wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons water
- For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Nonpareil colored sprinkles
- Combine yeast, warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Allow yeast to foam, about 5 minutes.
- Use your fingertips to rub the orange and lemon zests and remaining sugar together in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in milk and heat to 115 degrees. Pour into yeast mixture in the mixing bowl. Add citrus zest-sugar mixture, salt and 1/2 cup flour and mix on low speed (#2 on a KitchenAid mixer) to combine the ingredients, about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix 30 seconds to combine. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, every 15 to 20 seconds.
- Change out the paddle for the dough hook and knead on medium speed (#4 on a KitchenAid mixer) speed about 3 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky. (If too sticky, add up to 2 tablespoons additional flour.) Continue kneading another 2 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with oil. Remove the dough, patting it into a ball, and move to the oiled bowl. Spray dough lightly with oil or gently roll it around the mixing bowl to coat in oil, then cover bowl with a clean dish towel or loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- When dough has risen, remove dough to lightly floured surface. Pat dough gently to release air. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces with a bench scraper, pizza cutter or a knife. Working with one portion at a time, cut the dough into three equal pieces. Gently roll each piece lengthwise into a cylinder about 1 x 12 inches long (like a long rope). Braid strips and bring ends around together to form a wreath. Pinch ends together. Leave room in the center for one of the dyed eggs. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Spray a piece of plastic wrap with oil and place loosely over braided wreaths. Let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes.
- While dough is rising, heat oven to 375 degrees. Make egg wash by lightly beating the egg yolk with water in a small bowl. When bread has risen, remove plastic wrap and brush with egg wash. Tuck a dyed egg in the center of each braid.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes or until done. The bread is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees. Remove from oven and transfer wreaths to cool on a wire rack.
- While breads are cooling, make the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and vanilla. If mixture is too thick, add the additional 1 tablespoon milk. Spread the glaze on the breads, covering the top surface. Decorate with sprinkles as desired. Discard the dyed eggs when serving as they may have spent too much time unrefrigerated during the dying process.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 575 calories (percent of calories from fat, 27), 15 grams protein, 90 grams carbohydrates, 29 grams total sugars, 3 grams fiber, 18 grams total fat (9 grams saturated), 196 milligrams cholesterol, 220 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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