Looking for new recipes for upcoming Easter and Passover celebrations? Grandparents.com offers these taste treats:
Easter
Easter Calzone (Scalcione di Cipolle)
Instructions:
For the filling:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 bunches scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup chopped Kalamata or Gaeta olives
Red pepper flakes
Salt
1/4 cup chopped anchovy fillets
For the dough:
1 pound all-purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm white wine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing
Pinch salt
Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add scallions, wine, tomatoes, olives, and hot pepper and salt, to taste. Saute for about 15 minutes. Remove from stove, drain, and cool completely. Set aside.
2. To make the dough, combine flour, wine, 1/4 cup olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Knead together until a dough is formed.
3. Cut the dough in half. Flatten one half into a thin, round sheet large enough to cover the bottom of a 16-inch baking pan. Apply a very thin film of olive oil to the pan. Position the dough in the pan and spread the scallion mixture uniformly on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Spread the anchovies over the scallions.
3. Take the other half of the dough and flatten it with the rolling pin into a round sheet that you will use to cover the scallions. Place the dough over the scallions, cutting off any excess around the edges. With a fork, seal the two sheets of dough together.
4. With your fingers, apply a thin film of olive oil over the entire surface of the scalcione. Then, with a fork, puncture the surface every 2 inches. Bake for 60 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Serves 8.
Easter bread (Gurrugulo)
Ingredients:
1 pound (slightly more than 3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
9 large eggs, divided
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 lemon, zested
Colored sprinkles
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, 4 eggs, sugar, olive oil, baking powder, and lemon zest. Mix until it becomes a dough.
2. Cut the mix into four equal parts (one for each Gurrugulo). Reserve two thin 6-inch strips for each Gurrugulo. Take one part, divide it again into three equal parts and roll each part into a strip about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Take the three strips, unite them at one end, and slowly and carefully braid them until the very end. Unite the two ends. Where the ends meet, place an egg. Roll the two thin strips of the mix and place them over the egg in a cross fashion. The strips will hold the egg down. During the braiding process, if the strips are too soft or too sticky, add some flour to facilitate the process. Repeat this process with the remaining dough, until four Gurrugulo are made.
4. Beat the remaining egg and, with your finger, wet the entire surface of each Gurrugulo with the beaten egg. Add sprinkles and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Makes 4 Gurrugulos.
Passover
Homemade Passover Noodles
10 eggs
1 full, rounded “bubby cup” of potato starch
1 teaspoon of salt
2 full cups cold water
Vegetable oil for frying
1. In a large shallow bowl, whisk together first 4 ingredients.
2. Heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil in a 9 inch frying pan over medium-high heat. Using a half measure of a 4-ounce soup ladle per crepe, pour the mixture into the frying pan, using the handle to angle the pan’s base so that the entire batter covers the frying surface.
3. When the crepe starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, lift it up slowly with a spatula and flip it. Do not overbrown. These fry up quickly, so keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
4. Transfer cooked crepe to a plate.
5. Remix the batter well prior to pouring each crêpe, as the starch tends to settle at the bottom of the mixture. Before pouring the batter for each crêpe add 1/2 teaspoon of oil to the pan. Reheat the pan and repeat cooking process.
6. Stack the crepes on the plate as they are cooked.
7. Refrigerate overnight if using the crepes as noodles. When ready to serve, take 2 or 3 noodles at a time, roll them up tightly like a cigar, cut them into one-inch-wide segments, and add them to a pot of your favorite chicken broth. Don’t forget to give the ends of the noodles to your little ones to eat! If serving as filled crepes, serve at room temperature.
Yield: Makes about 22 crepes.
