Savory Neapolitan Easter Bread
I have been making an Easter Bread from Naples called Casatiello for about
20
years. It and the goat are my staples for an Easter meal. The bread takes
forever but it is worth it. I was never given a recipe, just an
explanation by a
couple of guys from Napoli. So that is the best I can do here.
a basic bread dough
fresh cracked pepper
1/4 lb each of chopped up salami and pancetta
prosciutto
Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano
5 eggs
Make a basic bread dough, whatever you like except double the yeast. Let
it rise until double. Punch down and roll out into a large square (about
30" x 30"). Spread on some lard (I have no idea on the amount but a good
guestimate would be 225g/half pound) and sprinkle with a lot of fresh
cracked pepper. Now add 1/4 lb each of chopped up salami and pancetta and
a little bit of chopped up prosciutto. Sprinkle with coarsely grated
Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano. Roll up into a tube. Grease an angel food
cake pan with lard and place tube inside (forming a ring). Lay 5 eggs
(wash them but do not boil them first) on top and top with a criss cross
of dough (2 strips of dough, forming an X, laid on top to hold down the
eggs). Let rise for another hour or more (again, should be more than
doubled). When ready, place in oven at 375 - 400 F (185-200 C) until the
top is nice and brown and looks ready. This normally takes about an hour
to an hour and a half. The smell in your house should tell you it is ready
(my mouth starts watering and I know it is time :-) Now the hard part.
Let bread cool. Place in a paper bag (NOT PLASTIC) and leave it for the
following day (do not refrigerate). It really needs a day to get full
flavor. Leftover is great toasted the following day or even topped with a
mild cheese and tomato slices and toasted in the oven.
--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at
.
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/