EASTER MENU (PRANZO DI PASQUA)

• I start preparing holiday meals a few days in advance to save time on the day of celebration.

I consider making these dishes ahead of time to streamline the meal prep process.

Appetizers:

Shrimp and clams ready to be baked for few minutes before dinner.

Stuffed and fried different mushrooms and fried peppers also ready to be baked minutes before dinner.

MAIN DINNER:

Make sauce the day before

Stuffed pasta shells stuffed with ricotta and cheese.  Baked for an hour or so before dinner.

Cut lamb chops.  To be marinated with a mix of olive oil, garlic, rosemary and lemon juice.  To be grilled few minutes before dinner.

Potatoes and onions to be baked

Salad

Leg of Lamb ready to be baked

WISHING YOU ALL AN ENJOYABLE EASTER DINNER!

FOOD TO EAT DURING LENT

From the ashes of Ash Wednesday to the light of Easter, the Church encourages spiritual growth, and practice self-discipline with allowances for fish and other non-flesh foods to maintain nourishment while observing penance.

"Eating lean" does not mean eating too little, nor does it mean eating poorly. It means making a choice. Red meats, poultry, and their by-products are excluded, while foods such as fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, grains, vegetables, and fruit remain permissible. 

Here are some Italian dishes during Lent.

FISH DISHES

Baked baccala' with escarole

Baked salmon with risotto

Stuffed calamari over peas

Risotto with shrimp and spinach

Baccala' and potatoes

Baked fresh cod with potatoes

Whiting over rice

PASTA DISHES 

Linguini with clams

Fettuccini with shrimp

Tagliatelle with mushrooms

Rigatoni with eggplant

VEGETABLE DISHES

Stuffed artichokes

Broccoli di rape

Fava beans and artichokes

EGG DISHES

Eggs with cipollata

Eggs with broccoli

and many, many more!

CAVATELLI MURGIANI AL FORNO (BAKED)

  Came across these Cavatelli Murgiani at the local Farmers Market.  Purchased them for the first time and decided to bake them with ricotta and mozzarella.

INGREDIENTS

  

1/2 lb. Cavatelli Murgiani
1/4 cup of olive oil
• 
  

1/2 onion chopped

2 cups of crushed tomatoes

Fresh parsley

Couple of basil leaves

Salt and pepper

1 cup of ricotta

1 egg

4 oz. mozzarella (grated)

1/4 cup of grated cheese

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.
• In a large skillet add olive oil and onion.  Cook onion until golden, add tomatoes, parsley, basil leaves and salt and pepper.  Cook sauce for half hour.
• Beat the egg slightly, add ricotta and mozzarella.  Mix slightly.
• In a baking casserole, add a little sauce.  Add the cooked pasta.  Then add the ricotta and mozzarella mixture.  Stir gently to combine. Add the remaining sauce.
• Bake covered in a 375-degree oven for 30 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with grated cheese. 
• Bake for 5 more minutes.

PINTO BEANS WITH CAVATELLI PASTA

 Cavatelli with beans is a truly delicious first course, and this particular pasta shape is perfect for accompanying beans, making everything creamier and more inviting.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of pinto beans (already boiled)

1/2 lb. of cavatelli

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 cup tomato puree

Salt and black pepper

PREPERATION:

Chop cloves of garlic and sauté it in oil for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree, salt, and cooked beans. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes over low heat. Turn off the heat and let rest.

Meanwhile, boil the cavatelli and drain them when very al dente, reserving a ladle of the cooking water. Then, add them to the pot with the bean sauce and toss to combine. Add the reserved cooking water and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes.

This dish is going to warm you up in a most delicious and comforting way during the cold season.

Enjoy!

Blue Tuna with Basil Tomato Sauce and Capers (Tonno fresco con pomodorini e capperi).

Fresh tuna with tomatoes and capers is a simple, quick and tasty recipe for a Mediterranean-flavored main course.

The fresh tuna steaks are accompanied by a delicious sauce of cherry tomatoes, onions and capers.

 Ingredients

3 tuna steaks about 1-inch thick

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, cut

One red onion, cut

Few leaves of basil

1 lb. cherry tomatoes

2 tablespoons of capers

Tuna steaks

Cherry tomatoes in pan

directions

Heat 3 tbs. oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onions and sauté about 5 minutes until soft.

Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes, then add in the tomatoes, basil and capers, stirring well to combine.

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

In another pan heat the remaining 3 tbs. of oil over medium heat.

Salt and pepper fish to taste, then place in the pan when oil is hot.

Cook fish about 3 minutes per side (fish should be light brown at edges but still pink inside).

Place the fish in the pan with sauce and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Serve immediately!

CANNING CHERRY TOMATOES (Conservare i pomodorini)

The most classic way to preserve cherry tomatoes is to make a tomato puree by boiling the tomatoes.  And making a fresh cherry tomato sauce is an explosion of authentic flavors, perfect for enhancing many dishes.

Procedure:

Simply wash and cut the tomatoes in half. 

Place them in a pot, add some salt and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Then place the tomatoes in a food mill and rotate to remove skin.

Place the puree in a jar and add few basil leaves.

Cap the jar and boil for 20 minutes.

BAKED SEA BREAM WITH POTATOES (ORATA AL FORNO CON PATATE)

Baked sea bream, along with sea bass, is one of the most popular fish-based main courses thanks to its simplicity. It's incredibly easy to make; all you have to do is season the fish with aromatic herbs and arrange it on a baking sheet with the potatoes... the oven will do the rest.

Ingredients

2 whole orate (sea bream)

1 pound of potatoes

3 tablespoons of olive oil

3 sprigs parsley

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper crushed

Instructions

Peel the potatoes, wash them, pat them dry, and cut them. Take a baking dish and put 3 tablespoons of olive oil in it. Spread the potatoes in an even layer and add some salt and pepper.

Continue with the fish. I usually buy the whole fish already cleaned and gutted, head on. Salt the fish inside and out and then add parsley and 3 garlic cloves cut in half to the fish cavity.

Place the gilthead on top of the potatoes, add 2 more tablespoon of oil and pepper.

Bake at 450°F (230C°) for 40 minutes. Take it out of the oven, remove head and tails, and serve it with the side of potatoes.

Orata al Forno calls for a white wine to accompany it.

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On occasion, I also make orate with crabs.