Over my years of living in Italy I’ve managed to create my own set of Easter traditions. When I was growing up in St. Louis, my mother would always give us a basket filled with candy and there was always an Easter Egg hunt. When Sophie, Emma and my nieces were little, I always tried to recreate this tradition even though it was not Italian in the least.
At the beginning I would also try to incorporate some sort of Passover celebration as well, sometimes putting on an entire Seder and other times simply making a pot full of matzo ball soup for old times sake.
These days we spend most Easters in Bari, with Domenico’s mother, Rosa. She used to come visit us, with her sister Zia Tetta, up in Umbria every Easter but she’s getting on (93!) and it’s just too far to travel. So in the last few years I’ve developed a new set of traditions that center on Sunday lunch in Bari.
While we used to have spring lamb every year, lately we’ve been veering more towards vegetables. Partly because baby lambs are just so cute (!) but mostly because the vegetables in Puglia are just so good. So this year we did an entire feast of vegetables bought at the market in Bari on Saturday. Artichokes of course, which are almost free in this part of the world. I had hoped to find asparagus, to make this tart I saw on Instagram, but there wasn’t an asparagus to be had (too early I guess). So I switched gears and bought a bunch of lovely, dirty sponzale (a type of local spring leek) and paired them with cardoncelli (a local mushroom) to make a rustic tart for our main course. And this year our lamb was made of marzipan.
Menu
Antipasto
Hard Boiled Eggs and Soppressata: This is the only non-vegetarian element of the dinner, and while it may look like a strange pairing, it’s a traditional part of a il benedetto pugliese, or blessed, part of the Easter feast. I think most families include a LOT more food in their antipasto spread, but we keep it down to basics, which always include the eggs we dyed as well as a special salami from nearby Martina Franca.
Primo
Risotto ai Carciofi –Â Here is a recipe from a few years ago. The only thing I now do differently is to use some of the discarded artichoke leaves when I make my vegetable broth.
Secondo
Torta Rustica con Funghi e Cipolle: Rustic Tart with Mushrooms and onions (see below for recipe)
Contorno
Spring Salad with Peas: This is a variation on the salad we had a few weeks ago, prepared by Amanda for the welcome dinner of our Week in Rome tour. It’s simple and really doesn’t need a recipe. Top mixed spring lettuces with fresh peas that you have blanched for 1 minute and then cooled in ice water. Then add sliced radishes, grated ricotta salata and dress with olive oil and lemon, salt and pepper.
Dolce
My sister in law made us a gorgeous ricotta and chocolate tart. (this recipe has raspberries, but hers didn’t)
Setting the Table
As the years pass I find myself veering more and more towards the kitsch of any holiday season. This year I even got a Easter manicure. Yes, I am turning into my mother. So I keep a special box full of Easter decorations in Bari, including the darling embroidered tablecloth with Easter bunnies that my friend Jane gave me years ago, and that she bought at the Testaccio market. I even make sure I have Paas Easter Egg Dye to color our eggs. I am big on novelty holiday paper napkins.
While visiting Domenico’s mother we almost always eat in the kitchen. But for holidays we not only eat in the dining room, I also pull out all of Rosa’s ‘best’ plates and linen. The plates are hand made from Grottaglie and kept in their own cabinet in the living room. The tablecloth covering the table is faded pink, almost to white, which is because it was part of Rosa’s dowery and has been laundered regularly for the last 60 years.
What to Drink
Since Rosa usually stocks up on white wine from the supermarket, I make a special effort to make sure we have something special for Easter. This year it was a rose’ from Palama, in Salento, which I love.
Torta Rustica with Mushrooms and Onions
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 6-8
I’ve been wanting to make a torta rustica for a while now, and decided it would make a good main course for our vegetarian feast. I used cardoncelli mushrooms, which are local, mixed with cremini. But you can use whatever ones you find. Portabella]o would be a fine substitute for the cardoncelli.
I also used a huge bunch of sponzale, which is a local vegetable and a cross between a spring onion and a leek.
I decided to use 100% whole wheat flour, but I think next time I will do 2/3 whole wheat and 1/3 all purpose, to make the crust a bit more tender. Personally I loved the whole wheat crust, but others may find it a bit too whole wheaty.
Ingredients
- 500 grams / 4 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons fine salt
- 170 grams (6 oz or 3/4 cup) unsalted butter, chilled
- 1/2 to 3/4Â cup or more of chilled water
- 1 pound cardoncelli mushrooms (or portabello )
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms
- 1 pound sponzale (or 1/2 pound white onion and half pound leeks)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons fresh or dry thyme
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup grated pecorino or parmigiano
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
Instructions
- Make the dough by putting the flour and salt into a large bowl and mixing. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the chilled butter, cut into small cubes. Using your hands, quickly work the butter into the flour, until the mixture resembles crumbs. Slowly add the cold water, mixing it until it comes together into a ball. If you are using whole wheat flour you will need a bit more water than usual, since it absorbs the water. Use the heel of your hand to work in the last bits of flour.
- Divide the dough into two pieces, form it into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime clean the mushrooms. Cut off the bottoms if they are dirty and using a wet paper town, gently wash the mushrooms. You don’t want them to get too wet, or else they won’t brown when cooking. Cut them into 1/4 inch slices.
- Trim and slice the onion or leek into 1/4 inch slices.
- In a large frying pan, put 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat over high heat. When it is hot, add the cardoncelli mushrooms (or portabella). RESIST THE URGE TO STIR. The trick with mushrooms is to let them cook and brown without stirring. They will begin to give up their liquid, reduce and brown. You can shake the pan a bit, but only stir at the end, when they have reduced. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Repeat for the cremini mushrooms.
- To cook the onions place the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and butter into a large frying pan. Add the sliced onions, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoons of thyme, and freshly ground black pepper. Cook over low heat until completely wiled and reduced. This may take up to 30 minutes. If the onions start to brown, add a bit of water. When they are tender add the white wine, and let it cook off, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
- To assemble the tart line a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom with parchment.
- Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll the first piece out into a disk big enough to cover the bottom of the tart pan. If it’s hard to roll out, let it warm up a bit. And if it starts to break up, don’t worry too much, you can patch it together.
- Transfer the dough to the tart pan, letting the edges come up and over the sides.
- Layer the grated cheese on top of the dough. Then spread the onions over that, followed by both kinds of mushrooms.
- Rolls out the remaining dough and cover the tart, pinching the edges together around the rim.
- Brush the top with egg yolk and place in preheated oven. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Take out of oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. It is also very good at room temperature.
Pretty pictures. Still can’t believe that we’ve never met.
These posts are just so lovely. I guess because I have been to Puglia, your posts from that setting really capture me. I am taken back to eating cardoncelli mushroom pasta, wishing I had not bypassed Grottaglie in the pouring rain…Happy belated Easter!