Easter Memories…
Our family traditions from my Italian childhood home continue as I celebrate many of them with my own family. Easter is celebrated with spring cleaning (out with the old in with the fresh, shiny and new), new clothes (fresh and new), colored Easter Eggs (bright new birth), Easter gift baskets (as a reminder of our blessings and thankfulness), friends and family gathered in celebration, and of course, FOOD and all that sustains us.
As we celebrated through the years with my children, there were ‘bunny paw prints’ on the floor, which created moments of excitement as the girls woke and followed the bunny prints to their Easter Baskets. We also included an Easter Egg Hunt with little eggs filled with goodies. As they grew older, ‘The Easter Bunny’ filled the eggs with money 🙂 And, YES!, there was a ‘golden egg’ to be found…
Our Traditional Menu:
- A basket of colored Easter Eggs, Fresh Fruit and Nuts
- Wine (Salute! ~ to your health)
- Stuffed Artichokes
- Cheese Lasagna with Noni’s Italian Tomato Gravy
- Ham and/or Lamb Roast
- Buttered Potatoes
- Broccoli with Lemon and Garlic
- Green Salad w/Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Noni’s Easter Breads and Pizzelles
- Traditional Italian Easter Pies and Pastries
- Friends, Family and Celebration!
(All recipes can be found in the Newly Revised Edition of “MaMa Mia Cucina ~ A Flavor of Good Food and Good Family”)
With the sweet smells and tradition of holidays, past and present, I would like to share my grandmother, Noni’s, recipe for her traditional Italian Easter Pie ~ “Ricotta Pie/Torta di Ricotta”. It is a cheese pie that is great on the Easter holiday dinner or breakfast table.
Looking for a new food tradition in your family? Try it…
Ricotta Pie
Torta di Ricotta
1 pound of ricotta cheese, mashed
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of milk
1 jigger of whiskey (1-1/2 oz)
1 prepared pie crust
Combine ricotta cheese, sugar and cinnamon together. Mix well and add beaten eggs. Blend together, adding milk and whiskey. Pour into a prepared pie crust and bake at 350 degrees until light golden brown for approximately 40 minutes, or until light golden brown.
A traditional Italian Easter pie.
(Recipe found on Page 139 of “MaMa Mia Cucina ~ A Flavor of Good Food and Good Family”)
HAPPY EASTER ~ HAPPY SPRING!
~ Cynthia
