Traditional Italian Easter Foods And Recipes To Try

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, softened butter, granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt.
3. Mix until the dough comes together.
4. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the greased baking pan.
5. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until it’s lightly golden.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and flour.
7. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
8. Stir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest until the mixture is smooth.
9. Pour the lemon filling over the baked crust.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the edges are set, and the center is slightly firm.
11. Let it cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
12. Once cooled, refrigerate the lemon bars for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, to allow them to set.
13. Once chilled, cut into squares or bars.
14. Dust the tops with powdered sugar before serving.

1. Cut off the woody ends on each stalk of asparagus and season with a bit of salt and pepper.
2. In a metal steaming basket over a pot or in a frying pan, add a bit of cold water, cover with a lid. and steam your asparagus over low heat until fork tender.
3. Once you have fork tender stalks, place your asparagus in a large bowl. Season with more salt and pepper, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice.
4. Mix until thoroughly combined.
5. Place your asparagus in the refrigerator for 30 minutes-1 hour, or until ready to serve.

1. In a food processor or using an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix.
2. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. In a small bowl, beat the egg with ice water. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and pulse until the dough comes together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it gently until it forms a ball.
5. Flatten the ball into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
7. On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a circle large enough to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Transfer the dough to the pie dish and press it into the bottom and sides. Trim any excess dough and crimp the edges.
8. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and flour. Mix until well combined and smooth.
9. Pour the creamy ricotta filling into the prepared pie crust, spreading it evenly.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown.
11. Allow the pie to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
12. Dust with powdered sugar over the top of the pie before serving.
13. Slice and serve chilled. Enjoy your classic Italian ricotta pie

For the Crust, do this:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt, then add butter and work it through the flour using fingers or a pastry cutter until the mix looks like coarse crumbs.
2. Knead the hand-made dough until it comes together, however, if it’s too dry, you can try to add a little cold water, a tablespoon at a time.
3. Once you have a lovely, smooth dough, divide the dough, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour.
   

Tip: You can also use a food processor if you have one!

For the filling, do this: 

1. To prepare the filling, prepare a skillet over medium heat where you cook the sausage (previously sliced into smaller pieces) in a pan over medium heat until it is thoroughly cooked, then remove it from the heat and drain any extra grease.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Then mix in the cooked meats like sausage, ham, prosciutto, and salami.
3. Beat the 6 eggs and add them to the mixture, where you add parsley, salt, pepper, and mix it well together. 

To assemble it all, do this:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Roll out one piece of dough to fit a 9-inch springform pan, ensuring it covers both the bottom and sides before pouring the filling into the crust.
3. Roll out the second piece of dough and place it over the filling to create the top crust. Then simply pinch the edges to seal and make small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape – voilá!

Tip: To get a shinier finish, brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg!

Then bake it for 45 minutes to an hour in a pre-heated oven until the crust is golden brown, and the filling is set. Once done, let it cool for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving – enjoy!

1. Split sub roll into 2 halves
2. Mix mayo, Calabrian chili peppers and honey together to make spicy aioli
3. Spread spicy aioli on both sides of sub roll
4. Add cheese to bottom half of roll
5. Place ham on top of cheese
6. Now place lettuce, tomato and pickles on in that order
7. Season with salt and pepper
8. Drizzle with olive oil
9. Enjoy!

1. Take your peppers and onions and cut them into one inch strips with a sharp knife. 
2. Toss your vegetables in olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat the air fryer to 350 °F degrees for about 3 minutes.
4. Now add the seasoned peppers and onions to the air fryer basket and cook them for about 12-15 minutes. The cooking time of this step will depend on how you like your veggies cooked. Give them a toss after about 7 minutes.
5. Remove the peppers and onions from the air fryer basket and set them aside on a plate.
6. Increase the temperature of the air fryer to 400 °F degrees.
7. Grab your uncooked sausages and place them in a single layer in the basket. The cooking time on this step will depend on the size of the sausages you use. The bigger the thickness of the sausage, the more time in the air fryer. Adjust the time based on the size of the sausage links.
8. For standard Italian sausages, cook for at least 12 minutes, and make sure you flip them at the halfway point.
9. According to the USDA, the internal temperature of the sausage should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a digital meat thermometer to check them out if you want.
10. When the sausages are done add them to the plate of peppers and onions.

1. To achieve this robust flavor balance, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once hot and boiling over medium-high heat, add the onion, carrots, and celery; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Then, throw in the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for another minute or until it releases its aroma. 
2. Once everything is mixed and soft, mix zucchini and green beans into the mix and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
3. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, kidney beans, cannellini beans, pasta, Italian herbs, bay leaf, salt, and pepper – bring it to a boil, but then reduce it again to low heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. You will notice the vegetables and pasta are tender when it’s ready. 
4. Lastly, stir spinach or kale into the mixture during the last few minutes of cooking. It’ll be ready once it’s wilted.

That’s it! Before serving the soup hot, garnish it with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley on top – enjoy!

1. Heat olive oil on medium heat and add pancetta cubes.
2. Allow the pancetta to become crisp, which should be about 5 minutes.
3. Add the sliced onion to the same pan as the pancetta and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Allow the garlic to brown for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the frozen green beans to the pan and turn up the stove to medium-high heat. Toss the green beans into the onions and garlic and allow to cook for about 5 more minutes or until green beans defrost
6. Add the tomatoes to the pan and season again with salt and pepper. Let everything cook together for about 10 minutes. During the last 2 minutes add half of the parmesan cheese.
7. Transfer the contents of the pan to a plate and finish with more grated parmesan cheese.
8. Enjoy!

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Take your brie wheel and place it on a sheet pan lined with a parchment paper – scoring the top lightly in a criss-cross pattern to make serving easier before continuing.
3. Drizzle some honey or maple syrup over your brie and sprinkle with your choice of chopped nuts, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and thyme over it – this will give it a nice touch and add a twist.
4. Bake your sweet brie for about 10-15 minutes – by the time it’s done it should be lightly soft and gooey, just be careful not to overbake it so it won’t become runny. 
5. Once it’s baked, transfer it carefully to the center of a large wooden board or platter – then arrange the other cheeses (if desired) around it.
6. Now add the fresh and dried fruits around the board, as well as some small bowls with nut clusters – fill some of the spaces with sweet crackers, bread slices, cold cuts like prosciutto or salami, as well as some smaller bowls or jars of sweet spreads like fig ham or apple butter.
7. Scatter dark chocolate pisces of truffles for a more luxurious finish – with this, also garnish with a few sprigs of fresh herbs to give it a hint of freshness.

Try this warm brie cheese board and let us know below how you liked it!

Step 1: Take a large bowl and dissolve the yeast in warm water and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until the dissolved yeast becomes frothy – then add the flour, sugar, olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture – mix until you have a dough formed using either your hands, a hand mixer with a dough hook, or a food processor.

Step 2: Knead the sticky dough on the surface with a little flour for about 10 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic – you want it to be elastic and not super sticky. 

Step 3: Take a medium bowl and grease it with olive oil, then place the dough into it and cover it with a cloth – let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, it needs to double in size.

Step 4: While it’s rising, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Step 5: Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, take it again and punch it down before placing it on a lightly floured surface – then roll it out into a large rectangular shape. 

Step 6: Spread half of the grapes over the dough, then sprinkle half of the sugar (and cinnamon or lemon zest if you’re using it) over it as well – roll up the dough along the long side, enclosing the grapes.

Tip: If you want to save time, you don’t have to do anything else to the dough. However, if you want to braid it, you will want to give it a braided look, take a sharp knife and make the cuts from right and left to the middle until you have a braided look. 

Step 7: Place the rolled dough on a rectangular baking pan or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put the remaining grapes on top of the dough – press it lightly into the dough, so it’ll stick. If you have any leftover dough, wrap plastic wrap around it and place it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

Tip: Sprinkle rosemary or other herbs to garnish your bread.

Step 8: Bake the bread dough in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes – you want it to be golden brown and hollow when you tap it (that’s how you know it’s ready!)Once done, take it out of the oven and let it cool off at room temperature on a wire rack before you cut into it while it’s still warm to enjoy – even better, enjoy it with a glass of Italian wine or a cup of coffee.