Monday, April 25, 2011

Buona Pasqua! Tanti Auguri!


The Easter holiday has come and gone and I must admit I am breathing a sigh of relief. This was my first Easter that I remember on record and it wont be easily forgotten. I usually barely even notice the holiday when I am in the States, except of course when I try to score chocolate off of my Christian friends. It comes and goes quietly.

Not here. Italy does Easter in a big way. There are two days of celebration instead of one, Sunday AND Monday are national holidays. I was told that Easter is such a big celebration that Italians get Monday off to recuperate.

How Italian of them. A holiday from a holiday.

For these past two days the restaurant was so incredibly busy that each service felt like we were going into battle. People were coming in and out of the kitchen during all hours, friends and family members of Angela and Peppino. There was twice the amount of food to be prepped and an anxious energy in the kitchen. Personally I prefer when the restaurant is busy but boy am I exhausted.We had a pre-fixe Easter menu. Here it is::

Menu Degustazione
Entree di benvenuto
A puff pastry filled with egg and cheese***
Bianco di tacchino al profumo di arancia su insalata di finocchi
White turkey cooked with orange zest over a fennel salade
Vitello al pepe aromatico di Sarawak
Veal crusted with Sarawak pepper
Con indivia croccante e maionese all'olio di vinaccioli
with individual crackers and mayo
eCannolo di frittatina
a thin omelet filled with ricotta cheese and sauteed asparagus***Brodo all'Abruzzese
Traditional soup of broth and noodles***
Timbalino con ortaggi
Individual eggplant lasagna's stuffed with vegetables, mozzarella and herbs
o
Chitarra al ragu di agnello
Pasta cut by a "guitar" with a lamb ragout***
"L'Agnello"
Costatine alla brace e coscia al gineproLamb two ways. Grilled lamb chops and shoulder cooked with juniper
***
Fragole, meringhe e millefoglie
Dessert: fresh strawberries flavored with lemon juice and rose water, and a "thousand layer" cake ***e per concludere
Pastiera e Pasta mandorla
To finish, a traditional almond cake

Tomorrow we all get a well-deserved day off and somehow I promised Chef Peppino that I would go with him to climb the mountain (La montagna delle Maiella) at 8am! That was a bad move, I haven't been sleeping great the past two days and my body is aching from the extra long shifts. The only thing to do now is get a good night's sleep and prepare myself for the mountain that awaits me in the morning.

Buona Pasqua a tutti!

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