Here we are ready to begin April, with the pollen blanketing everything like snow and totally unwelcomed. And while we had already been busy celebrating the arrival of Spring on March 21^st, we also celebrated the Feast Days of St. Patrick and St. Joseph with much preparation of foods and customs followed by Palm Sunday rituals. But our joyful grand finale was Easter with all the pomp and bliss it holds for us as a family. 

Easter week for us growing up Italian meant fasting, Church services, the elusive Easter Bunny, and lastly the wonderful Easter mass filled with glorious hymns and finally family festivities. Easter in Italy and in our house is a Christian based holiday which begins on Palm Sunday, culminates on Easter Sunday, and extends throughout the next week for a day or two that we refer to as Easter Monday or Pasquetta, maybe Easter Tuesday and I really don’t remember an Easter Wednesday celebration, but I can’t say for certain that it wouldn’t happen. However, having gone to Catholic schools the few holy days before Easter and the week following were always days off and called Easter Recess.

Palm Sunday was a day to visit elderly relatives and graves delivering blessed palm leaves sometimes artistically formed into crosses or wreaths. Holy Thursday was visiting 7 churches (easy to do in NYC where there was a Catholic Church every five or six blocks). Good Friday was Church, fasting, silence from Noon until 3:00 pm and more fasting at night. We broke our Lenten fasting at Noon on Easter Saturday and then the feasting began as we prepared with baking and cooking for the big Easter meal and inclusive family togetherness.

In our family incorporating both our northern and southern Italian heritages our “pranza” afternoon meal will start around 4pm with a full course antipasto, complete with brightly colored eggs and Pizza Rustica, then work our way into filled crepes or lasagna and then a roast, and umpteen vegetables. This is all followed by fruit, nuts and dessert which comprises Torta Ricotta (Ricotta Pie), Cannoli, Cream Puffs, and favorites that our grown children contribute or request, possibly a cheesecake.  Of course, the little ones will be munching on bunny ears.

Growing up for me and my younger brother Easter was more family, food and Church as opposed to today when Easter seems to be more about new clothes and spring break vacations and then, yes, Church. Because I grew up in New York where it could still be cold or chilly in the spring, I might have gotten a new coat if one of my sister’s hand-me-downs didn’t fit.  I remember one year when new shoes were not in the picture and my Mother who liked to crochet did crochet a fancy little ruffle on a plain pair of white sox that I wore to church in my old but polished oxfords. 

But the Easter bunny did always come and cleverly outfitted last year’s baskets with fresh bows and filled it, with a few candies and a shiny apple, a tangerine or two and maybe a small marshmallow filled chocolate bunny and some jellybeans. My older sisters teased me about the black beans telling me and my brother to never eat them but I finally realized it was because they loved licorice! My older sisters usually made their outfits on the old (app. 90 years old) Singer sewing machine that our daughter Claudia now has. After Church we had breakfast next door with my Little Nonna, Aunt, Uncles and Cousins. We either celebrated later in the day at my maternal Aunt and Uncle’s house in Elmhurst or they came to celebrate with us. Some year’s we spent Easter on my Nonna Giovanna’s farm in New Jersey and that was my favorite way to spend the holiday because there usually were new chicks, bunnies, piggies and ducklings to fuss over. It was a time to also help her plant some spring flowers, which is still a custom for me today.

This year our daughter Andrea hosted Easter so we all gathered at her house where she and our granddaughters put together a beautiful meal on an elegantly set table. The main thing for our family, though, is that we are all together. I hope your day was joyous.  BUONA PASQUETTA!  

PERFECT FOR SPRING

A PINEAPPLE BUNDT CAKE

FOR THE CAKE:

3 C. Flour
1 C. Butter – unsalted, room temp.
1 1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Buttermilk – room temp
1 1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 C. Shortening
1 tsp. Vanilla or Almond Extract
4 Eggs – room temp
1 Can (8 oz) Crushed Pineapple

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350º

GREASE AND FLOUR A 9-INCH BUNDT PAN or USE A FLOUR BASED NON-STICK SPRAY*

DRAIN PINEAPPLE AND RESERVE JUICE.

Combine the flour and baking powder in a medium size bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of your heavy-duty mixer cream together the sugar, shortening and butter until

well combined and creamy. Add eggs one at a time while beating on a low speed for several seconds before adding the next egg and continue beating only until all combined.

Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk slowly and only beat until all incorporated. Do not overbeat or the cake will be dry.

Add the pineapple and extract and beat only until all is evenly combined. Do not overbeat.

Pour batter into prepared pan (*for Bundt pans I find that Bakers Joy Spray works best for me) and bake for 70-85 minutes (check after the 65 minute mark as all ovens are different and you don’t want to overbake) until a tester comes out with just a little crumb attached.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a rack and then turn out on your serving plate.

FOR THE GLAZE

2 Tbs. Butter – unsalted, melted
2 C. Powdered Sugar – sifted
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 Reserved Pineapple Juice

In a small bowl, whisk all the glaze ingredients together until smooth and well blended. With a chop stick end or something similar, poke a few holes all over the top of the cake. Slowly drizzle the glaze over the cake a little t a time and multiple times until the cake is nicely coated.

BUON MANGIATA!