A Very Neapolitan Easter

*This piece, as well as the recipes, were originally written in April of 2013

A Very Neapolitan Easter Menu
serves 4

Easter holds a happy place in my heart.  No, not because I was the fat kid and my family would give me fruit baskets instead of chocolate to open up (every Easter morning for a number of years) that was terrible and traumatic. But because Easter - in our home - was celebrated with an all out protein party. We’re talking salamis, provolone, ricotta salata, hard boiled eggs, lamb and or goat. I still recall sitting in church, in my too tight and too pastel Easter costume - scalp itching from some stupid straw bonnet - with a bow, of course - fantasizing about young spring goat and lamb and how tasty and tender they are.  I was 7. What kind of 7 year old fantasizes about goat meat covered in wine, eggs, cheese and peas? 

I didn’t think I’d celebrate Easter this year.  I imagined it would be much like my Christmas Day. An order of steamed chicken and broccoli shows up and I stone myself on Netflix and dark chocolate until I fall asleep - waking up only to realize my hand is down my pants and I should really go for a late night walk and see a depressing film.

Instead, I took control of the situation.  With my family no longer close by, I decided it was time to woman up and cook a goat.

I contacted my Aunt Jo - and by contacted - I mean she texts. Between my Aunt and my Mom’s memories of grandmas goat, Neapolitan Easter dinner was about to go down. My Aunt reminded me that my Uncle Gino would serve an antipasto of hardboiled eggs, ricotta salata and salami.  All deliciously salty and bloating, so we’d be pretty full before we even arrived to the presentation of the goat and oil slicked artichokes.  Perfect.

While scoping out Astoria for ingredients, I set my eyes on some fava beans and asparagus.  Spring is in the air indeed - and  I love a fresh green fava bean and long lean stalk of asparagus.  

Traditionally, our family would have a fruit plate and pastiera di grano for dessert - which is a grain pie that could be likened to a lumpy cheesecake with citron chunks in it.  I made it one year, omitting the citron because that shit gets stuck in your teeth.  This is also dessert, people, and fruit  is not dessert.  I know, I can hear all of the women in my family - but it’ll help you digest.  Bullshit.  In my adult life I’ve read enough food combination books to know that fruit should not be eaten within an hour of any meal. Simply put, fruit is a pre-cursor to dessert so you don’t feel like you’re being a total fatty by closing right in on some cake and cookies. Gimme all the fake sugars, please. 

I served homemade truffles.  Thank you, Ina Garten, you’re brilliant. Rather, the little gnomes in your test kitchen are.  I delicately placed some strawberries beside the truffles and, wouldn’t you know, my guests ate them all. 

Although I miss holiday arguments, crowded tables, my grandmother walking around hunched over with a corning ware dish, rationing out portions of goat and artichokes - I’m glad to know I can cook a meal, like her.  Sure, I’m insecure before I cook a meal - but Easter goat was proof to my palette that a little old Italian woman lives inside of me. Creepy, I know.

Enjoy. 

Grandma’s Goat With Eggs + Peas
Ingredients
1 ½ lbs. goat, cut into 2" pieces, rinsed and patted dry
¼ cup good olive oil
3 shallots, minced
1 ½ cup white wine
1 1/3 cup peas
3-4 eggs beaten + ½ cup grated Locatelli cheese
Fresh parsley + lemon for garnish 

Instructions
—In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, set over medium high heat, add olive oil 
—Add goat, cooking until browed and remove from pot and put aside
—Add shallots and reduce heat, covering, and cooking onions for 20-30 minutes until melted down 
—Transfer goat back in the pot, add 1 c. of wine and cook uncovered until wine reduces - about 30-40
—Add peas and the remaining wine and cover, cooking for an additional 30-45 minutes 
*If your liquid is not reducing, cook with lid slightly open
—Add eggs and cook until eggs are completely formed - but they should be soft and fluffy, coating all of the goat and peas
—Remove from heat, plate, garnish and serve

Fava Bean Salad
Ingredients
1 cup of fava beans, cleaned and removed from pod
10 red cherry tomatoes
10 small yellow tomatoes
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Lemon juice
Shards of Pecorino
Endive leaves

Instructions
—Prepare a large bowl with ice water and put aside 
—Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add fava beans, boiling for 1 minute
—Strain fava beans and quickly place in ice water bath (this will ensure your beans stay bright green)
—Remove fava beans from ice water and peel back the waxy outer shell of the bean and discard (repeat)
—Place fava in a bowl with tomatoes, salt, lemon juice and oil - then toss to coat
—Spoon fava salad into endive leaves and top with pecorino

Steamed Artichokes
Ingredients
6 small artichokes, cleaned and quartered
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
20 black Italian olives, pitted
¼ cup of good olive oil
¼ cup of water
Kosher salt

Instructions
—Begin to clean artichokes and, as you’re cleaning, place them in a pot with cold water, lemon and 1 tablespoon of flour - this will keep them from turning black
-Over medium low heat, add oil to a large stock pot, then add artichokes + garlic cover for 5 minutes
—Remove cover and add water
—Replace cover and continue to cook for another 7-10 minutes - watching that there is enough liquid in the pot so the artichokes do not stick and burn
—Remove cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until outer leaves of the artichoke are tender (admittedly, mine were a little tough - I should have peeled back more leaves)
—Salt and serve with cheese

Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons of good olive oil
Kosher salt

Instructions
—Preheat oven to 425 degrees
—Line a baking sheet with asparagus and toss to coat with olive oil and salt
—Roast for 12-15 minutes until asparagus are medium brown but still maintain a somewhat firm stem

Pastiera di Grano
*makes 2 pies
*ingredients for both the dough aka the “frolla” and the filling can be halved to make 1 pie! The proportions have been tested and approved!
*should you NOT opt to make your own dough from scratch
*dough recommendations: shell, Marie Callender’s deep dish pie crust and for the top crust, Pillsbury Ready to Bake Pie Crust

Ingredients for the “frolla” aka the dough
4 cups of all purpose flour
½ cup of granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon of Salt
3/4 cup of unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup of Crisco / vegetable shortening, cold and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Ice Water, added by the tablespoon

Instructions for the “frolla” aka the dough
–In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the flour, vanilla, orange zest, salt and sugar and mix until combined well
–Add the cubed cold butter and shortening, mixing until the butter and shortening are well distributed throughout the dry ingredients and there are little pea sized bits of them running through the mixture
–Add the egg yolks and mix until the dough starts to come together
–With the mixer running, add in a tablespoon of ice water at a time until the dough starts coming together well
–Transfer the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut the dough into two equal pieces
–Roll each piece of dough until smooth and disc shaped
–Cut off ½ of the dough off of each ball of dough (so all together you should have 2 large balls of dough and 2 small) wrap each ball of dough with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes

Ingredients for the filling
1 x 2 pound container of whole milk ricotta, drained
1 1/3 cup of sugar
6 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of orange blossom water
1 teaspoon of orange extract
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
1 x 20.5 oz (580g) jar of wheat grain “granno cotto”
5-6 tablespoons of candied citron
5 egg whites beaten stiff

Instructions for making the pie filling, assembling and baking
—Place the ricotta in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, along with the sugar, egg yolks, orange and lemon zest, vanilla, orange blossom water and orange extract – mix well until smooth
—Add the wheat grain and continue to mix until well incorporated, mix in citron and put aside
—Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold into the ricotta/grain mixture to complete the filling and set the bowl aside
—Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter two 9” or 10” glass pyrex pie dishes
—Flour a large surface or baking board and begin rolling the larger piece of dough"
—Roll it out to a circle as large as the circumference of your pie dish and the dough should be ⅛ to a ¼ inch thick
—Using the rolling pin to gently lift the dough from your floured surface, lay the dough and pin on top of the pie dish and unfurl the rolling pin – there should be some dough hanging over the sides but a lot is not necessary
—Pour half of the ricotta/grain filling into the prepared dish and set aside
—Begin rolling the smaller piece of dough on your floured surface, aiming to roll the dough 10-12” long and cut into 1”  using a pizza cutter or sharp knife
—Lay 4-6 strips of dough over the pie, trying to leave even spacing in between
—Repeat and cut another 4-6 strips of dough and lay them crosswise over the other strips to complete your “lattice” topping
—Using your fingertips in a little bit of water, seal the lattice strips to the dough hanging from your pie dish – trim excess dough
—Repeat the same steps to create the shell, fill and lattice your second pie
—Bake the pies for approximately 1 hour and 8 minutes or slightly longer or until the center or the pie is set (a little movement is ok) and the crust is a deep golden brown
—Cool at room temperature and refrigerate overnight with a paper towel over the top of the pie – the following day you can wrap the pie with plastic wrap
—Take out to serve at room temperature when you’re ready for dessert
—Pies can also be frozen whole or in slices, using plastic wrap, foil and ziplock bags to keep them fresh
—The pie will keep for 3-6 months to be reheated and enjoyed