Here my fav recipes for a Liguria Easter menu.
If you are looking for inspiration for your Easter feast, Today I share with you the most iconic Ligurian Easter recipes. These are the dishes that more ofter we serve here in Liguria on our Easter tables.
Most of them are seasonal recipes prepared with those foods that since ever appears on the market stalls at the beginning of spring. Also the Catholic influence is manifest, in that many ingredients have a religious meaning both linked to Christ life and resurrection (Easter indeed) and to the Lent sacrifice period.
All the recipes are already on the blog, so just click on the one that intrigue you most and start cooking it!
A suggestion: celebrate bringing the spring on your table! Put some wild flower in the center of your table, prepare a big fresh salad to accompany your main courses and if possible add flowers to it as well!
Liguria Easter Starters
Fava beans pesto
This is a tribute of what grows most in our fields in early spring: fava beans!
A fresh spring cream to spread on croutons or on boiled eggs made with fresh fava beans, fresh pecorino cheese and fresh mint. An explosion of flavors!
It is prepared all over the Region but is registered as a traditional local food (DE.CO) of Cervo Ligure, the place where my grandfather’s family came from.
Panissa fritta
This is a jummy appetizer, perfect for starting nibbling with a cold glass of white wine in your hand.
These are kinda “fritters” though with no potato inside. They are made with a cheek pea tart, cut in pieces and deep fried. They are a perfect vegan appetizer too!
Liguria Easter First courses
Pansoti
This is the second most famous stuffed pasta of Liguria after ravioli.
The filling is made of green leaves vegetables and few cheese. Traditionally indeed the greens are a mix of seasonal wild herbs picked in the fields, what we call here prebuggiun.
Their traditional seasoning is a yummy cream made with walnuts, the so called walnut sauce (salsa di noci).
Piccage verdi
This is the Liguria green fresh pasta. Usually the green is made adding to the pasta dough borages or nettles.They are wonderful when seasoned with a earthy rich dry mushroom sauce.
Liguria Easter Main courses
Torta pasqualina
Torta Pasqualina is a savory pie with a filling of artichokes and chards, cheese and whole eggs inside as a symbol of life and rebirth.
This is the most iconic Ligurian dish for Easter, the pie that all families prepare since centuries to celebrate the rebirth of Jesus.
Pasqualina name indeed comes form Pasqua, Easter in Italian. On the blog you can find the recipe of Pasqualina with artichokes.
Lettuce in broth (Lattughe ripiene in brodo)
Lettuce leaves stuffed with meat, flavored with fresh herbs and boiled in meat broth. It can be a main course or a first course, as well, though there is no pasta or cereal inside. This is a very common dish for Easter here in Genoa. My recipe is in Italian on the blog for the time being, need to translate it !!)
Lamb with artichokes
Lamb is the symbol of Easter, not only in Liguria or in Italy, but in may other countries and religions.
In our family is common to have it stewed with artichokes (a wonderful savors matching!).
Though you can find frequently also lamb ribs deep fried (agnello fritto) or lamb stewed with scramble eggs (agnello in fricassea).
Cima ripiena
Cima is a signature Ligurian dish for celebration days since centuries.
It was born as a dish of humble people, a way of pretending to bring on a table a big meat roast though actually its a bag made of veal belly stuffed with cheap ingredients such as eggs, vegetables and ofals.
We have it cold, cut in thin slices with salad. But the leftovers, if any, are wonderful breaded and deep fried!
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Liguria Easter Desserts
Quaresimali
Quaresimali are small marzipan cookies of different shapes.
They are made just with almonds and sugar and traditionally they are flavored with bitter orange blossom water, and essence very common in Ligurian sweets cuisine.
Quaresimali are prepared and consumed here along all the Lent period as they are free of animal ingredients, so in compliance with the Catholic provisions.
Cavagnetti
Cavagnetti are traditional Ligurian Easter pastries. The name comes from the genoese dialect word “cavagna”, meaning baskets. Indeed they are small baskets of sweet leavened dough with an egg in their center, symbol of the rebirth.
And then of course big chocolate eggs that kids love breaking to find the little surprise inside! To seal the feast, needless to say, coffee and limoncino!
