Italian Easter Feast

These Proscuitto and Goat Cheese Crostini are an invention of mine. On my first visit to Europe in 1971 I found a cheese and ham spread in a tube that I loved. On my second trip in 1998 I rediscovered it and fell in love again. But this time, when I got home I recreated the delicacy. Spread on lightly toasted slices of baguette, or even on crackers, it's a great little munchie. And the spread keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.

This delicious Pan-Roasted Lamb from Italy has two odd ingredients. First, it’s made with red wine vinegar as opposed to red wine. The vinegar sharpens and sweetens the flavor of the lamb and herbs. Second, the anchovy paste adds depth and richness - call it savor - to the dish. The vinegar is barely noticeable in the final dish and you'll never taste the anchovies, but both are essential to this wonderful dish. Serve with a good bread to soak up the incredible sauce.

Broccoli rabe should be part of your culinary vocabulary. I discovered this Italian vegetable (also known as broccoli rape, broccoli raab and rapini) a few years ago and fell in love with it's somewhat bitter flavor. In fact, it's a relative of turnips, not broccoli (and broccolini is a different vegetable despite it's similar appearance), nevertheless it has aspects of regular broccoli and cauliflower in it's flavor. This side dish is easy to prepare, and if you can't find rabe you can substitute regular broccoli, turnip greens, or chard.

Rosemary Potatoes Parmigiano is yet another of those recipes that demonstrate that simple and easy is often also best. This dish is particularly good in the spring with genuine new potatoes tasting of the earth they were grown in. But whatever the time of year these potatoes are hard to beat.

Roasting cauliflower totally changes its character, providing a wonderfully nutty undercurrent of flavor. You may wonder at my use of granulated garlic as opposed to fresh garlic, but I've found that the fresh garlic ends up in the pan while the powdered garlic clings to the cauliflower, ultimately providing more garlic flavor.

This wonderful apple cake is easy to make, packed with flavor, and perfect any time of year, but is particularly suited for fall when apples are in season and the spices fill your home with the exotic scents of the east that we so associate with apples, fall, winter, rain, and warmth. I particularly like Braeburn apples in this recipe.