Joe Trivelli’s Italian Easter recipes
Easter outstrips even Christmas in importance in the Italian calendar. Carnevale marks the start of 40 days’ anticipation that culminates in a feast the like of which no amount of Lenten abstinence could prepare you for. My favourite centred on a multi-coloured chocolate bunny almost as tall as me.
Other popular treats are torta pasqualina filled with spinach and eggs, the “dove” shaped colomba, and many, many different types of fried sweet dough. There are perhaps even more Easter traditions in Italy than there are small towns. Almost all are delicious, but none especially light.
The River Café is always open on Easter Sunday, so instead my family sits down together on Saturday night or Easter Monday when we eat something special. Kid and goat is becoming easier to find at the butchers, so I included it. Rabbit, another favourite at our table, might also do. Cooked with wild garlic, olives and prosciutto, it stands up by itself
Usually I make pastiera at Easter, the ancient grain, candied fruit and ricotta tart from Naples scented with rosewater. It has a great tradition and pedigree, but this year it inspired a frivolous chocolate number instead. It is as densely moreish as the almond rhubarb pudding is daintily pretty, thus something for everyone. A recipe for a happy family gathering.
Traditional Easter roast with potatoes
This is very straightforward, delicious and, crucially, takes minimal effort. Cooking the meat uncovered and dry helps retain a welcome chew so while it is soft it doesn’t fall to pieces.
Serves 6
kid or lamb shoulder, off the bone, 1.5 kg
garlic 10 cloves, crushed
lemon 1
chilli 1, dried, crushed
rosemary
oregano or marjoram dried
fennel seeds 1 tbsp
potatoes 1.5 kg
olive oil
salt
Well ahead, preferably the day before, cut the meat into chunks, say eight. Cut the lemon into eighths and squeeze on to the meat adding the crushed garlic, chilli, loads of rosemary needles, a good pinch of oregano and the fennel seeds. Peel the potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks and mix with salt and a glug of oil. Leave the meat and potatoes to marinate.
Heat the oven to 120C/gas mark 6 and remove the potatoes from the meat. Roast uncovered, in a heavy tin with sides, for 90 minutes. Turn the oven up to 230C/gas mark 8 and turn the meat over. After 20 minutes cautiously remove some of the fat with a ladle, add the potatoes before turning over the meat again. Cook until the potatoes are golden – usually about another 40 minutes.
Rabbit with wild garlic
‘A favourite at our table’: rabbit with wild garlic. Photograph: Jean Cazals/The Observer
This is full of the joys of spring. Adding the ingredients in stages keeps the dish fresh despite its long braising. If you can’t find wild garlic use regular, but add it early.
Serves 6
rabbit 1, farmed, jointed, about 1.5 kg
onion 1, small
celery stick 1
olive oil
parsley a few sprigs
wild garlic 15 leaves, or 6 peeled garlic cloves
carrots 5
black olives such as taggiasche, a handful
broad beans 500g, fresh, shelled (optional)
prosciutto 6 slices
white wine 200ml
salt and pepper
Thinly slice the onion and celery. Season the rabbit well and place, with a couple of tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Scatter over the onion, celery, a few of the parsley sprigs, (the whole garlic cloves if using) and cover. I do this with baking paper and tin foil as I don’t have a large enough lid. Place over a medium heat until you smell it cooking – about 5 minutes – then turn down to the lowest heat and cook for 90 minutes, removing the lid and turning after 40 minutes. If the pan is dry, add a splash of water.
Peel the carrots, cut into small pieces and add to the pan with the olives and broad beans. Cover with the prosciutto, then the lid and cook for another 20 minutes. Remove the lid, add the white wine, more parsley and the garlic leaves and increase the heat. Cook till the wine is almost gone. Add fresh pepper before serving.
Whole grain and chocolate tart
‘Densely moreish’: whole grain and chocolate tart. Photograph: Jean Cazals/The Observer
Pearled grain means that the hard husk has been polished and so is better suited to the purpose here.
Serves 10
For the pastry:
butter 150g, soft
wholemeal spelt flour 175g
white spelt flour 175g
icing sugar 100g
baking powder 1 tsp
egg 1
egg yolk 1
For the filling:
pearled whole spelt 80g
milk 600ml
cinnamon 1 stick
lemon peel from 1 lemon, shredded
dark chocolate 200g
caster sugar 80g
plain flour 50g
eggs 3, separated
salt
Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour, baking powder and icing sugar to resemble crumbs. Then combine the egg and bring together to form a dough. Wrap and rest for at least an hour.
Soak the grain for several hours. Bring the grain and milk to the boil in a heavy pan with the cinnamon stick and lemon peel. Simmer on a low heat until cooked and thick. This may take as long as 2½ hours. Remove the cinnamon, break the chocolate in and stir off the heat until melted. Stir in half the caster sugar, the flour and egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar and fold through.
Heat the oven to 175C/gas mark 3.5. Roll two thirds of the pastry and line a 25cm tart shell with it. Fill to the top with the grain and chocolate. Roll the rest of the pastry, cut into strips and crisscross over the top. Brush the pastry with milk and sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt. Feel free to skip this bit and use leftover pastry for jam tarts if you like. Bake for 35 minutes.
Allow to cool before serving.
Rhubarb and almond pudding
‘Brilliantly quick’: rhubarb and almond pudding. Photograph: Jean Cazals/The Observer
This is a brilliantly quick dessert, but it doesn’t keep. Prepare while cooking everything else, remove from the oven just before sitting down and it will be perfect in time for pudding. Use a large pan to keep the batter shallow.
Serves 2
pistachios 20g
almonds 20g, with skins
rhubarb 200g, thin, cut into 3cm pieces
butter 30g, unsalted
egg 1
light soft brown sugar 50g, plus extra for the rhubarb
salt
orange ½, zested
almond milk 75ml, or whole milk
almonds 50g, finely ground
cinnamon stick a few flakes
Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Butter a 25cm cake tin. If the pistachios have skins on, pour boiling water over them and stand for 10 minutes, then peel. Roughly chop with the whole almonds. Dust the rhubarb with sugar and scatter in the tin. Melt the butter. Whisk the egg with the sugar and salt, and then the zest, milk, ground almonds and butter. Pour over the fruit and top with the other nuts and small flakes of cinnamon. Bake for 25-30 minutes. It should stay slightly wobbly.
Joe Trivelli is joint head chef at the River Café
Correction: the Traditional Easter roast with potatoes contains a temperature error in the method. The oven should be heated to 120C/gas mark 6 before being increased to 230C/gas mark 8