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La Pasqua Napoletana
Pasca vo' 'a
menestrella mmaretata
cu 'a gallenella, 'a 'nnoglia e 'e saciccielle,
'll'ainìello a 'o furno, 'o ppoco 'e spezzatiello.
'a felluccia
'e ricotta e e' supressata.
Quatt'ova toste na cimm' 'e nzalata,
Na
carcioffola e 'o fiasco 'e marainiello;
Po', se sape, 'a pastiera, 'o
casatiello,
'a pres 'e roce e na pres arraggiata.
G.
Fico
Easter cries
for a soup in which wedded are
Pork, nnoglia1,
and sausage;
roast lamb and a bit of stew;
A slice of ricotta and one
of soprassata;
Four hard-boiled eggs and a head of salad;
An artichoke
and a flask of Maraniello wine;
And, of course, pastiera and casatiello;
A shot of liqueur sweet and a shot fiery.
Natale con i tuoi, la Pasqua con chi vuoi -- "Christmas at home and Easter with whomever you wish"is an old Italian saying. However, people have a way of returning to the hearth, and Easter is an occasion for far-flung families to reunite around a well set table, renewing the bonds that tie. As is the case with most other holidays, there is considerable variation in how it's celebrated from region to region. A Neapolitan family would have, in the past, celebrated with the recipes below (among other things). Nowadays the Minstra di Pasqua might be substituted by something lighter, for example freshly made broth with tagliolini (noodles similar to tagliatelle but about an eighth of an inch across). Lamb remains a fixture, however, as does the pastiera napoletana.
According to Caròla Francesconi, author of La Cucina Napoletana, Neapolitans have only recently begun to begin meals with antipasti. Thus, while today you would be presented with them (they're discussed below), in the past you would likely have begun directly with:
- Minestra di Pasqua
- The traditional beginning of the Neapolitan Easter meal.
- Capretto o Agnello al Forno
- Roast Kid or Goat
- Capretto Cacio e Uova
- Kid stewed with cheese, peas & eggs
- Carciofi e Patate Soffritti
- Sauteed artichokes with baby potatoes.
- Carciofi Fritti
- Fried Artichokes
- La Pastiera Napoletana
- The classic Neapolitan grain pie.
Finally, a few observations on modern Easter celebrations. You will want antipasti -- finely sliced cold cuts such as salami, prosciutto, coppa, and finocchiona, or, if you'd rather avoid pork, bresaola, which is cured beef or horse (one has to ask for the latter). While the pork cold cuts are just served sliced, bresaola requires preparation: Lay the slices on a platter and drizzle them with the juice of a half a lemon and an equivalent volume of good extravirgin olive oil, mixed together. In addition, you may want sottoli or sottoaceti, baby onions, carrots, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and a variety of other vegetables packed in oil or pickled (check your Italian delicatessen), or an antipastino di mare (seafood antipasto; again, check your local Italian delicatessen).
Second, as an alternative cake come the end of the meal, you might want a Colomba, which is made using the same dough used for panettone, but in the shape of a dove. Italians generally buy them because the traditional recipe is difficult and time consuming.
And last, don't forget the chocolate eggs for the children! With surprises of course. Time was parents would slip furtively to their favorite pastry shop with the surprise to be inserted into the egg; now every candy company floods the market with chocolate Easter eggs in a variety of sizes at this time of year. Easier, yes, but something is lost.
Buona Pasqua!
Kyle Phillips
Previous Features
A note on the
recipes: These are all traditional Neapolitan recipes, though some, for example
the roast lamb or the fried artichokes, are common to much of the southern half
of the Peninsula. I translated the versions Caròla Francesconi gathered
for her wonderful and impressively comprehensive La Cucina Napoletana.
Introductory text, photo & translations © Kyle Phillips.
1) A sausage made from pork guts and other cuttings. Back up.
