Last Tuesday I got together with my mother in law and we made Italian cookies with a baked in egg. They are delicious and they are an Easter tradition in their family. I had a great time baking with her but there is no way you can write down the ingredients and then attempt to make them. It is one of those recipes that you have to watch come together. I would have never used as much flour as it needed and I wouldn’t have known to put the egg on the seam if I had not learned from her. Next year I will make them myself and I will get a better description so that I can post the recipe.
Biscotti di Pasqua
Then on Saturday we went up to Pen Argyl to visit my parents and we made Easter Pies. I do have the recipes for them so I will share, well they're not exact either. I guess Italians do not measure. I do have a little story that goes along with these pies. Every year a very near and dear Italian neighbor, Vera, would invite us over when she made the Easter Pies. We loved them so much that when she passed we wanted to share the tradition. So last year my mom made them with her sister. Her sister went to California
Ham Wheat Pie
2 cups of orzo (pasta) cooked in ham broth
½ cup of Locatelli cheese (Italians from my hometown prefer this cheese to Parmesan, but you could use Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan if your grocery store does not carry this)
1 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup of ham
3 eggs
1 cup cooked wheat berry (You have to soak the wheat overnight and then cook it)
Black pepper to taste
Mix the ingredients together and then put the mixture in a Pyrex and bake at 350 until the top is browned and the cheese is melted.
Spinach Wheat Pie
2 cups of orzo (pasta) cooked in water
½ cup of Locatelli cheese
1 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3 eggs
1 cup cooked wheat berry
½ a box of defrosted spinach squeezed to remove all water
Black pepper to taste
Mix the ingredients together and then put the mixture in a Pyrex and bake at 350 until the top is browned and the cheese is melted.
Ham Pie
2 cups of orzo (pasta) cooked in ham broth
½ cup of Locatelli cheese
1 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup of ham
3 eggs
Black pepper to taste
Mix the ingredients together and then put the mixture in a pie pan cover with your favorite crust (whether you buy or make your own) We used store bought and unfortunately it stuck together so I had to roll it out anyway. Bake at 350 until the crust is light brown.
Spinach Pie
2 cups of orzo (pasta) cooked in water
½ cup of Locatelli cheese
1 cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
3 eggs
½ a box of defrosted spinach squeezed to remove all water
Black pepper to taste
Mix the ingredients together and then put the mixture in pie pan and bake at 350 until the top is browned and the cheese is melted. I did not use a top crust for mine because I do not like a lot of pie crust.
Sweet Easter Pie
1 ½ lb ricotta cheese
½ tsp salt
1 cup sugar (I used raw organic sugar)
2 whole eggs (cage free organic)
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites beaten until stiff like a meringue
1 ½ cups of cooked white rice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
Beat the ricotta with the salt until smooth. Then add the whole eggs and yolks and beat. Add the sugar gradually and beat. When the mixture comes together and is smooth add the vanilla. Fold in the rice and zest, when it is completely mixed fold in the stiff egg whites.
I used an organic pie crust from Whole Foods for the base of my Sweet Pie (which was pretty amazing), but you can use your own sweat pie crust if you wish. You can also use a top crust if you like, but for me 1 pie crust is enough.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and the 375 for 45 or until light brown. Since I did not use a top crust, about halfway through baking we had to cover the edges with foil to prevent further browning.
Apparently my Italian grandmother made a sweet Easter pie too but hers had pineapple on the bottom..yumm I may have to try that! Of course we do not have the recipe because she is no longer with us so I will have to wing that was well.
As if that wasn’t enough cooking and baking for the night I decided I wanted to make Prune Crumb Pie. A few months ago after eating Raisin Crumb Pie, my mom was telling me a story about a lady who used to make a Prune Pie that she loved. She never got the recipe because she was a kid at the time. So I researched and I couldn’t find anything I liked so I adapted a few different Raisin Crumb Pies recipes to come up with my very own Prune Crumb Pie. Since it was the first time I’ve ever attempted a Prune Pie and had never made a Raisin Pie I winged it a little but it turned out delicious. It was definitely one of the best pies I’ve ever eaten and my parents would agree.
Prune Crumb Pie
1 organic Pie crust from Whole Foods
1 lb pitted pruned halved or quartered depending on the size you are aiming for and since some are larger than others (I love Newman’s Own and I highly suggest getting them especially for this recipe)
1 cup of raw organic sugar
1 cup of water
½ cup of water with about 4 tbs of cornstarch to thicken
Cook the prunes with the sugar and water until thick. If need be add as much cornstarch, first mixed in cold water, to thicken the mixture. Set aside to cool.
Crumb Mixture
1 stick of butter
About 2/3 cup of sugar
About 1 cup of flour
Cinnamon to taste
Mix together with a fork or pastry blender. Add prune mixture to crust and then sprinkle thoroughly with the crumb mixture. Bake at 350 until the crumbs and pie crust are done. I believe it was about 45 mins.
Unfortunately we started eating this before I could take the picture so this is what part of it is supposed to look like.
It was a very wonderful food-filled weekend and we enjoyed every minute of it!
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