An Unusual Easter Eve Dinner

It's been a while since I last wrote up a meal menu; the Roman and Neapolitan menus that I showcased for Easter were done a couple of years ago, and though I had thought of doing a traditional Tuscan Easter meal I got side tracked and ended up doing last time's recipe collection instead. We did have a tasty, albeit unusual meal on Easter Eve, however. Unusual because we knew that Clelia was going to be baptized by Don Luciano (the priest who also married Elisabetta and me) in the course of the midnight service, and that his services tend to be long -- he includes everything that the service books mark as optional by putting in brackets, and adds things here and there throughout. A heavy multicourse meal washed down with abundant wine would have been a recipe for disaster, even if it closed with pots of espresso.

So we opted for a one-course meal with Graziella's stuffed chicken, served with a few antipasti for those who felt they had to begin with something else, and a variety of side dishes, followed by a millefoglie cake and coffee. No heavy pasta, no sumptuous roasts, and everything went very well despite the duration of the event. Clelia slept peacefully from the beginning of the service, at 10:30, until Don Luciano poured warm water over her head at about 12, at which point she awoke and observed the proceedings, though she didn't cry -- not bad for a 4-month-old -- while everyone else stayed awake until Don Luciano finally let us go, at about 2 in the morning.

THE RECIPES:

Sott'Oli
The simplest of antipasti: Vegetables pickled and packed in oil.

Chicken Liver Crostini
Even those convinced they don't like liver love these.

Black Olives
Our were bought, but here's how to cure them.

Carote Stufate
Simple sautéed carrots are delightful with all sorts of things.

Tortino con gli Asparagi
A voluptuous asparagus sformato that's perfect as an antipasto or in a light (even romantic) meal.

Quiche di Cipollotti e Formaggio
A rich, satisfying quiche with scallions and cheese. Perfect in spring!

Graziella's Stuffed Chicken
The link leads to my mother-in-law's stuffed rabbit recipe, which also works very well with a boned chicken -- simply stuff the chicken rather than wrapping it around the stuffing. In this case she added some dried porcini after soaking them in warm water briefly, and added some not-too-lean ground beef to increase the volume of the stuffing to the point that it was sufficient to fill the bird, as well as a whole carrot, that added a splash of color to the slices. You could, if you want, also add some pistachio nuts.

Maionese
People generally associate mayonnaise with the French, but it's popular in Italy too, and perfect with the chicken.

Spinaci Rifatti
Sautéed spinach is tasty and surprisingly easy, and this will also work with other greens.

Millefoglie
One of the world's best cakes cakes!

Got more sites / recipes to suggest? Let me know.

A Presto,
Kyle Phillips

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