Easter Morning

Being of Italian descent, our family has its own unique way of celebrating the religious events leading up to Easter morning. During my parents' childhood, my grandparents and great-grandparents (as well as the rest of their strictly Italian neighbors in Brooklyn) would not allow any leisure activity during Good Friday. Lights and radios were shut off, the usual continuous cooking ceased and families flocked to the nearby churches to attend mass and celebrate the Stations of the Cross. A mournful mood was maintained with strict observers fasting from Good Friday afternoon until Holy Saturday morning, at which time a huge feast was consumed. During the several days preceding the fast, Italian women everywhere, often cooking together, prepared the specialties of the season, including various meat and cheese-laden pies, (most notably pizza rustica), grain-filled cakes (pizza grana), and both sweet and savory breads decorated with hard-cooked colored eggs. For dessert, there were always several varieties of Italian ricotta-based cheesecakes and pastries. To this day, each year, my own family still re-enacts this great festivity with enormous gusto. My two teen-aged daughters look forward to assisting their grandparents in preparing all the food which, of course, takes the better part of an entire day. Many dozen eggs, countless pounds of salami, prosciutto, cappocola, ricotta, mozzarella and sausages of every size and shape are consumed. It is a sight to behold and a taste to savor. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your own perspective...and waistline), it only happens once a year. Buon appetito!