Spring Time

“La primavera è quando la vita è viva in ogni cosa.” (Christina Rossetti) …
Spring is when life is alive in everything.

GF Cadbury Mini Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies & GF Apricot Jam Bars

I love Spring as it welcomes new beginnings, rebirth, and warmth. It is the time of year we begin our gardens and look forward to reaping the benefits of fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Spring also is the Easter season. In Italy there are a variety of Easter specialties, and traditions.

We begin Spring with preparing the land and planting our gardens. This year I am lucky to have my dad’s tomatoes seeds. These seeds go back to when he came to the USA after marrying my mother and began his garden here in the USA. They are San Marzano style tomatoes and so sweet and meaty. I remember every year having fresh tomatoes in salads, Sunday sauce, and at the end of the season we jarred them to enjoy during the rest of the year. It’s a tradition I hope to share with my children so they can continue to pass it on.

Another wonderful part of Spring is the Easter Season. I have already begun baking, from Easter breads, Pizza Rustica (Italian Meat and Cheese Pie), Cadbury Mini Egg Bread Pudding and Cookies, the classic Italian Easter Ricotta Pie, to the Pasteria di Grano (Easter Ricotta and Grain Pie). These are all beautiful traditions my mother and Nonna have taught me, and I look forward to sharing a few with you. This year my versions will be GLUTEN FREE. I am excited to turn old traditional recipes into new Gluten Free versions.

For those of you who are new to these Italian traditions let’s begin with the Italian Easter Bread. It is a slightly sweet, yeast leavened bread that is baked and then drizzled with sugar icing and decorations like sprinkle and eggs. Many bake the bread with colored eggs in them others just add the icing and sprinkles. The bread is very moist and almost a brioche texture. Since I am creating this gluten free it is not as fluffy as a brioche, but the flavors are spot on it has a slightly more crumble texture. The other very popular Italian Easter Bread is the Colomba which is a dove shaped sweet easter bread very similar to Panettone its Christmas counterpart. My sister makes this every year and she loves to present it on Easter day for dessert. It is a beautiful tradition. You can find them throughout Italy in all different flavors from traditional with candied citrus fruits, chocolate, Nutella, and Pistachio. My favorite is the Limoncello flavored one with the lemon curd pastry cream filling…soooo good. If you are going to purchase these make sure to purchase the ones directly from Italy or an Italian specialty store. For my friends in Connecticut try Fatto a Mano Breads where Pierluigi Mazzella (CT Baker of the Year) and his brother make an absolutely amazing Panettone and Colomba… visit www.fattoamanobreads.com (Note: these are not Gluten Free items). I have yet to master these gluten free and will continue to work on creating them for my future blogs.

Next, is the Cadbury Bread Pudding and Cookies which are very popular selling items. They have always been a favorite. The bread pudding which is not Gluten Free yet , is sweet, dense and delicious filled and topped with crushed Cadbury mini eggs. This was my best-selling bread pudding at Brick +Wood by far, make sure to order one before they are gone. The cookies are moist and chewy with chunks of Cadbury Mini Eggs and chocolate chips throughout. You really can’t go wrong with either one.

Now we get to the most traditional of all the Easter foods, especially in our Neapolitan home. The Pizza Rustica, which is a meat and cheese pie. It is stuffed with a variety of cured meats and Italian cheeses. We like to use ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, pecorino and fontina in our mix. Then add ham, prosciutto, salami, Soppressata or mortadella, eggs, herbs and mix it all together to create a dense cheesy filling to your pie. You then fill your pie crust and cover with another layer of pie crust pastry and bake until golden brown. This is served on Easter as an appetizer or as part of the meal.  Last is the Pasteria di Grano (Easter Ricotta and Grain Pie), served for dessert this light and fluffy ricotta pie has orange zest, Mille Fiori essence and barley added to give it vibrant and decadent flavors. In order for me to make my version gluten free, I substituted arborio rice for the grain which makes it even creamier and more delicious if you ask me.

GF Pizza Rustica

The month of March we celebrate Women’s History Month, as we welcome in Spring we honor all the wonderful women in the world. We also are celebrating Women’s Pizza Month #womenspizzamonth and the founder of this, Christy of Real Clever Food. Christy is truly making a difference in the pizza world, bringing the Women in Pizza to light in a very male dominated arena. So thank you Christy www.realcleverfood.com . I also want to thank Alexandra Mortati who created the amazing movement called Women in Pizza www.womeninpizza.com. Her continued support of women in the pizza world is tremendous. She is bringing to light all the amazing women that make a difference in pizza world and beyond. It’s women like this that make us stronger and believe. Please support Women-Owned Businesses and help to continue women making their mark in this world. What better way than to show our daughters, sisters, mothers, friends, and colleagues that women can do anything they believe in…SUPPORT EACHOTHER and always with LOVE.

Finally, one last item for Spring is gathering with friends and family to celebrate many different events. We are happy to announce our MOBILE PIZZA TRUCK and On-Site Catering services for the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex Area. We provide you and your guests with the very best authentic Neapolitan Pizzas, Italian foods, Gluten Free foods and more. Be sure to visit our Catering page to learn more about having LOVE LIFE and PIZZA cater your next event https://www.lovelifeandpizza.com/catering