Happy Easter, Buona Pasqua!!

Natale Con I Tuoi, Pasqua Con Chi Vuoi! ~ Christmas With Your Family, But Easter With Whoever You Want!

 The Italian table can start to get crowded  as all are invited to feast on a meal of Easter favorites. While the dishes may differs from one region to the next, there are still common ingredients like eggs, cured meats, lamb, and spring vegetables like peas, asparagus, and fava beans. Don’t forget the desserts! There’s pastiera, colomba, and egg biscotti.

The pastiera cake is typically made with cooked wheat, ricotta and candied fruit. The ricotta recipe below is a simple alternative to this Easter specialty. Colomba (dove, in Italian) is a must on the Easter table; delicate and light this sponge cake is enhanced with orange zest, and often decorated with sliced almonds or whole eggs! While you won’t find these little egg biscotti hiding in the backyard, they do make for a festive and colorful centerpiece. These sweet cookies are cake-like in texture and covered with icing and sugar candies.

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Pastiera ~ Ricotta Pie
8 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup milk

2 lbs Ricotta cheese

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Beat eggs, sugar and nutmeg together.  Add cream, vanilla, milk and Ricotta and blend well.

Grease a 10” pie plate and pour in Ricotta mixture.  Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the pie is firm.  Test by inserting a skewer, if it comes out dry the pie is done!