Easter at home, make it special with a Sicilian menu

How are you going to celebrate Easter and Easter Monday? This year it’ll be weird, different for sure. Due to the current emergency we are living all around the world, we have no choice: we have to stay home. So, either if you are with your family, your partner or alone, try to make this day special and with a note of Sicily. How? Follow Sicilian Secrets’ advice and tips.

Happy Easter! This year we had to change our plans…so no trips, no barbecues, no lunches with family and friends. We are at home, maybe with someone else, maybe on our own. It sounds sad, especially if we look out of the window and see the blue sky, the sun shines and the temperature is nice and warm. But please, don’t give up! Keep your mood high and let’s enjoy this day together.

Why don’t you try a classic Sicilian menu?

Starters

If you are looking for easy and tasty dishes, take note of these 100% Sicilian recipes. Make your table ‘happy’ with a nice appetizer such as the so-called ‘olive cunzate’. We are talking about olives with some garlic, oil, parsley, oregano and pepper on top.

What about the traditional Easter pasta? ‘Pasta ‘ncaciata’ is the way. Maybe you never heard this dish, it’s typical of Messina and is generally baked in the oven. You need some cheese, minced meat, pepperoni, aubergines, tomato sauce, basil and oil. Not enough? Sprinkle some extra cheese on top! For Easter, forget about the diet…

Main course

In the traditional Sicilian Easter menu, the main course is roasted goat (some people prefer lamb). Enhance its flavor with some herbs such as rosemary, sage and a little bit of garlic. The ideal side dish is roasted potatoes! Have you ever tried their version ‘alla Siciliana’? It’s very easy: put potatoes in the oven with oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. If you like it, add some cherry tomatoes, you can use them to cook the goat as well.

Another classic side dish is sweet-and-sour onions. You need some small onions (the so-called baby onions), vinegar and sugar. Tasty and quick!

Dessert

Don’t say you’re full, don’t say no to the dessert. I think it’s the best part of the meal, because for Easter we have no choice: we eat Cassata.

This is one of the most famous and traditional Sicilian sweets, this cake is made all around the world (many Sicilian communities do it in their bakeries in the U.S.A., Australia, etc.) so I’m sure you can find it in your city or you can try to make it in your beautiful kitchen. It’s not the easiest cake to make but since this year we have a lot of time…why not?

And in the very end, the ‘masterpiece’…the only true symbol of Easter: here is the Easter marzipan lamb. Big or small, it doesn’t matter, personally I love it. You can make it at your place and enjoy the ‘make-up’ moment. Make your sheep unique and personalized, it’s a great way to celebrate this day putting even a lot of happiness on you table.