Easter Recipe Roundup
Lent’s coming to an end. No more fasting soon, so I’m getting ready for my 4-course Italian-American Easter dinner celebration.
I’m bringing what’s available in the spring farmers market to our Easter feast.
For the antipasto I’m serving pizza rustica, a Neapolitan savory deep-dish ricotta pie with sausage, salami and fresh mozzarella. I’ll serve a slice of the pizza rustica with Giardiniera, marinated garden vegetables that I make a few days ahead so they reach their full flavor. Giardiniera will be a piquant foil for the savory pie.
My primo piatto, the first plate, is a light but full-flavored artichoke, leek and potato soup.
The secondo piatto, the second plate, is porchetta, a butterflied pork roast with an herb paste. The roast is accompanied by roasted potatoes dotted with truffle oil and cipollini agro dolce, onions in a sweet & sour glaze.
I’m bookending the meal with another Neapolitan Easter pie, pastiera, a sweet ricotta pie with wheat berries and candied citron.
Make the same dinner I’m making or change it up. Design your own Easter dinner. Choose from my selected dishes for each of the 4 courses. And if you just want to see the videos, check out this handy YouTube playlist.
Antipasti (before the meal)
Pair one of these dishes with your favorite Italian salumi, cheeses and olives.
- Verignola: Roman stewed spring vegetables
- Raw & Cooked Salad
- Green bean salad
- Giardiniera
- White bean and tuna salad
- Baby eggplant
- Roman bean salad
- Eggplant meatballs
- Asparagus frittata
- Stuffed artichokes
- Crispy baby artichokes
- Pizza rustica
- Torta Pasqualina
Primo Piatto (first plate)
Soups
Rice
Pasta
- Farfalle Primavera: bow tie pasta with spring vegetables
- Cacio e pepe: Spaghetti with black pepper & pecorino
- Fettucine with squash blossom cream sauce
- Spinach & ricotta cannelloni
Secondo Piatto (second plate)
- Abbacchio: Easter spring lamb
- Veal roast with spinach stuffing
- Porchetta: pork roast stuffed with garlic and herbs
- Saltimbocca: scallopine with sage & prosciutto
- Pollo oreganata: chicken and vegetables roasted with oregano
- Grilled rosemary chicken
Contorni (Side Dishes)
Use one of the vegetables in the antipasti selections or make one of these to serve with the second piatto.