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Follow our tips to prepare a delicious savory pie with asparagus, ham, olives, and cream.

Savory Prosciutto and Asparagus Pie

asparagus

puff pastry dough

2/3CUP milk

2/3CUP cream

2OZ. sliced prosciutto cotto (or ham)

1OZ. oil packed Taggiasca olives, pitted and chopped

eggs

salt

pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.&nbsp;

Trim the asparagus with a potato peeler and parboil them in salted water for 6-7 minutes. Drain and let them cool in a bowl of ice water.&nbsp;

Thinly slice 1/3 of the asparagus tips and 2 whole asparagus stalks and purée the rest with the cream, egg, milk, salt, and pepper.&nbsp;

Line a square baking pan (8" x 8" or an 8" or 9" round pan) with the puff pastry dough. Add in the chopped prosciutto, sliced asparagus, and chopped olives.

Pour the cream on top and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool and remove from the pan. Garnish to taste with more olives and raw asparagus slices.

Finely chop the chocolate and walnuts and mix them with the grape must, cinnamon, sugar, cocoa and 2 tablespoons of Zibibbo wine....

Nepitelle della Calabria (Calabrian Stuffed Pastries)

9OZ. grape must

nullOZ. 4 1/2 shelled walnuts

dark chocolate

nullOZ. 1 1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder

sugar

cinnamon

null Zibibbo or Passito wine

2CUPS flour

lard

Salt

Finely chop the chocolate and walnuts and mix them with the grape must, cinnamon, sugar, cocoa and 2 tablespoons of Zibibbo wine.

FOR THE DOUGH: Knead the flour, sugar, a big pinch of salt and the lard together to form a crumbly mixture. Gradually add 3/4 cup of water, until you have a smooth dough. Roll it out with a rolling pin until it is about 1/16-inch thick. Cut into 20-24 circles. Brush the edge with a little beaten egg. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each circle; fold closed into a half moon and press the edge

with a fork. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, place the nepitelle on top and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.

A classic recipe from the city of Trieste, Pinza di Trieste is a slightly sweet brioche traditionally eaten on Easter morning with cheese, salumi or homemade jam. Why wait for Easter? 

Pinza di Trieste

CUPS all-purpose flour

unsalted butter

2TBSP. fresh brewer's yeast

orange

lemon

milk

Marsala wine

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and combine with 1/3 cup flour and 1 tsp sugar to form a batter. Let rest for around 1 hour or until it has doubled in volume.

Add 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. melted butter and 2 lightly beaten egg yolks to the batter and mix until you have a smooth, compact dough. Form into a ball and set aside in a warm place to rise for 2 hours or until it has doubled in volume.

Add 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 Tbsp. melted butter, 2 egg yolks and 1 lightly beaten whole egg, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, grated zest of 1/2 an orange and 1 Tbsp. Marsala to the dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes, until smooth and compact; form into a ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.&nbsp;

Beat 1 egg yolk, mix with 1 Tbsp. milk and brush on the dough and set aside to rise for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 340°F.&nbsp;

Brush the dough again with the egg yolk-milk wash. Make 3 slices on the top in a sunburst pattern. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove the pinza from the oven and let cool. Serve with your favorite topping of fruit compote, whipped cream or with cheese and cured meats.

No Neapolitan Easter meal would be complete without pastiera on the table. Whole wheat berries are cooked in milk until creamy and mixed with ricotta, sugar, eggs, candied citrus and orange blossom essence for the filling. It is absolutely intoxicating. 

Pastiera Napoletana (Traditional Neapolitan Cake)

4CUPS all-purpose flour

1 2/3CUPS sugar

2CUPS milk

21OZ. sheep’s milk ricotta cheese

wheat berries

citron and orange, diced

vanillin

vanilla pod

orange blossom extract

Cook wheat berries in boiling water for 2 hours. Drain and cook with milk and 1 tsp. cinnamon, a little orange zest and 1/2 vanilla pod until the milk is absorbed (around 15 minutes); alternatively you can use 1 lb. pre-cooked wheat berries (grano cotto); heat in 1 cup milk along with the other ingredients for 10-15 minutes. Let cool.&nbsp;

In a large bowl mix flour, lard, 2/3 cup sugar and a pinch of salt until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 2 eggs and mix with your hands until combined. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. Place in the refrigerator in a bowl sealed with plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes.&nbsp;

Preheat the oven to 340 °F.&nbsp;

Mix the ricotta with the rest of the sugar, adding it a little at a time. Separate 2 eggs and set the egg whites aside. Beat yolks with the ricotta mixture. Add 4 whole eggs, one at a time, and whisk until incorporated. Add a little lemon and orange zest, candied fruit and 2 Tbsp. orange blossom water.&nbsp;

Remove the vanilla pod from the cooked wheat. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the ricotta mixture along with the cooked wheat. For a creamier filling purée some of the cooked wheat berries.&nbsp;

Grease and flour a cake pan (ø 10", h 2 1/2".), preferably a springform pan. Roll out about 2/3 of the dough on a floured surface until it is about 1/4" thick. Place in the springform pan. Cut off any overhang to add to the remaining dough. Roll out remaining dough and cut into 10 strips around 1" wide. Fill the dough with the ricotta mixture. Lay the pastry dough strips across the top in a criss-cross diamond pattern. Press the strips gently to adhere on the edge of the pastry. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 8 hours in a dry place.

Top 4 easter menu recipes from across the web

The most viewed easter menu recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Savory Prosciutto and Asparagus Pie

Nepitelle della Calabria (Calabrian...

Pinza di Trieste

Pastiera Napoletana (Traditional Ne...

Top 4 easter menu recipes from across the web

The most viewed easter menu recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Savory Prosciutto and Asparagus Pie

Nepitelle della Calabria (Calabrian...

Pinza di Trieste

Pastiera Napoletana (Traditional Ne...

The most viewed easter menu recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine