Easter Breads and Pies
Sweet breads, savory pies, and fresh sweet cheese pastries abound in Italy's bakeries this time of year -- just in time for the Easter holidays.
By Piergiorgio and Amy Nicoletti
Pasqua (Easter) in Italy is a resplendent time of the year—longer days, beautiful weather, and the smell of blossoming plants everywhere. Delicious foods, made from the freshest ingredients, awaken and open the senses and are a wonderful way to celebrate spring. In Italy, in the days preceding and following Pasqua, various kinds of torte pasqualine or torte di Pasqua (both are terms for Easter pies), pani di Pasqua (Easter breads) and even pizze di Pasqua (Easter pizzas) are prepared. Though all of these terms are a bit ambiguous and variously translated, generally speaking, at Easter, “torte” refers to savory or salty (“salate”) pies; while “pani di Pasqua” usually—though not always—refers to sweet cake-like desserts. Often these special treats are made according to recipes that are centuries old, though innovations are common.
The most renowned variation of torte di Pasqua is the Ligurian version called torta pasqualina. It consists of thin layers of unleavened dough—made with flour and Ligurian olive oil—alternating with a stuffing made of sautéed chard, spinach or artichokes, or any combination of the three; but, it doesn’t end there. The stuffing also calls for eggs, quagliata—or prescinseua in local dialect—which is a local curd cheese (in the U.S., this is usually replaced by ricotta), parmigiano, pecorino cheese and nutmeg. In some versions, various kinds of wild leafy vegetables and lettuces—such as chard, rughetta (arugula), radicchio, chicory, and asparagus—are added. All over the Italian countryside, it’s a common sight in springtime to see women in the fields and woods gathering these wild greens and vegetables into their aprons or baskets. 
Some torte salate di Pasqua are renowned all over Italy. For example, the celebrated Crescia di Pasqua—a savory pie from the Marche region—is a centuries-old Easter tradition. This torta, made with eggs, parmigiano and a lot of extra virgin olive oil, is leavened for about four hours until it reaches a height of 10 inches or so. In many households, two or three of these torte are baked and eaten throughout the Pasqua holidays—it’s a kind of Easter ritual. On Pasquetta (the day after Easter), during the traditional holiday picnic, these torte are usually eaten with fava beans and local young salame or salsiccia (sausage).
Pane di Pasqua (Easter bread) is another common Easter treat enjoyed all over Italy. In rural areas, this dessert is made at home, but it’s also readily available in bakeries and pasticcerie for Pasqua. Pane di Pasqua is usually a simple cake in the shape of a bread loaf made with flour, yeast, eggs, milk, sugar, butter, raisins and lemon peel. There are a few variations in the choice of flour or other ingredients—and, of course, there are plenty of regional recipes. In the Marche region, for example, one type of savory Easter bread has been made for centuries: il Pane di Pasqua di Borgopace. It’s a bread loaf made with flour, lard, saffron, yeast, salt and pepper. Before baking it, a symbolic cross is made on the top. This bread is usually eaten with blessed boiled eggs on Easter morning—literally blessed—as it is commonplace (especially in southern Italy) for the local priest to visit each home and give special blessings before Pasqua. This particular Easter bread is a perfect accompaniment for cheese. A similar bread called casatiello or tortano is popular in Naples and the Caserta areas of the Campania region.
In the Calabria region, it is customary to prepare an Easter bread called Sguta, which is made with flour, yeast, olive oil, eggs, and either salt or sugar. Before being baked, one or more raw eggs, still in their shells, are inserted halfway into the long dough. After baking, the eggs are removed, peeled and then shared and eaten along with the bread. Sguta is traditionally enjoyed on Pasquetta with local salumi, cheese, and fava beans.
Another Easter specialty is Pizze di Pasqua, which can be found in Abruzzi, Umbria, and Lazio (in the cities of Civitavecchia and Viterbo) and elsewhere. These Easter pizze (plural form for “pizza”) are usually sweet dessert pies, but they can also take the form of round bread made with cheese and eggs. Pizze di Pasqua really have nothing to do with the pizzas we are accustomed to—nonetheless they share the name.
The many different varieties of pizze di Pasqua, torte di Pasqua and pani di Pasqua are all testimony to the originality and imagination that are encouraged in Italian cucina at Easter time. No doubt, it’s the youthful, playful spirit of the season that entices both cooks and children to try new, fanciful creations in the kitchen around Pasqua and Pasquetta—it’s a kind of Italian rite of spring.
