Celebrate Easter Sicilian-Style on Pasquetta

Author Giovanna with her finished scaccia.

This year, take a Sicilian approach to your spring or Easter celebrations with a recipe by Sicilian Feasts author, Giovanna Bellia La Marca. Her Sausage and Ricotta Roll is certain to satisfy appetites after a day filled with Easter egg hunting!

Pasquetta ("little Easter") is celebrated on the Monday after Easter which extends the Easter holiday in Italy. This Sausage and Ricotta Roll is a filled bread recipe made for Pasquetta,  a special day when families and friends gather in their summer houses or plan a picnic to share delicious food that everybody prepares and brings for the occasion. Slices of this scaccia are filling finger food, and equally delicious hot or cold.

This is admittedly a rich dish and is traditionally made with lard in the dough and filling, as a sort of reward after weeks of fasting during the Lenten period. Although Crisco is used here you can choose the more traditional method if you celebrated Lent, or if you just want to enjoy a very hearty meal! 

Sausage and Ricotta Roll

Scaccia cu' ricotta e sausizza 

Prepare the dough:

4 cups flour

1 tbsp SAF Instant Yeast

4 tsps KA Bread Improver

2 ozs Butter Flavored Crisco

1 cup warm water

Assemble the roll:

Risen dough (above)

1 1/2 lbs fresh Italian Deli ricotta

1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage

2 ozs lard at room temperature,

1 egg, beaten for glazing

Giovanna rolls out the dough.

Place a tsp of King Arthur bread improver in each measuring cup, fill with flour, even out the top and place in the food processor. Add the yeast, salt, and shortening, and process until the shortening breaks down and mixes into the flour. Add the water and process until the dough forms. Remove to a counter, shape into a ball, coat with a few drops of olive oil, cover with an inverted bowl and let rise until doubled in bulk.

Roll out the dough into a long rectangle. Spread the lard on the surface, dot with ricotta and sausage in a checker board pattern along the center length of the rectangle.

Filled and ready to start folding!

Fold the two short ends over the filling, then fold one of the long sides towards the center, brush with beaten egg, and fold the second side over the first.

Cover the filling with one side, brush with egg, fold the other side over the first. Shape into a horse shoe, place in a baking pan seam side down. Then brush with beaten egg, prick the surface with a fork along the two sides, and bake in a preheated 375º oven for 50 minutes, cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake another 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cover with a towel and let cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Buona Pasqua!

For more recipes like this one, purchase Sicilian Feasts on our website, or your local bookstore. For updates on upcoming cookbook releases, as well as recipes and information on our current catalog connect with Hippocrene Books on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. 

Giovanna Bellia La Marca was born in Ragusa, Sicily. She came to the United States at the age of 10, and has since then kept alive her love of the island with frequent trips there. Retired after a career as an art and Italian teacher, she now teaches cooking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and leads culinary tours of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. La Marca is author of Language and Travel Guide to Sicily and The Cooking of Emilia-Romagna, both published by Hippocrene Books. She resides in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.  


For a Sicilian dessert for your Easter or spring celebrations, find Giovanna's recipe for a sweet and colorful Cassata Siciliana. 


Learn Sicilian!
Here are a few terms in the Sicilian dialect. 

Buona Pasqua!	Happy Easter!
formaggio	cheese
pane	bread
pasta ri pani	bread dough
Pasquetta	little Easter
primavera	spring
sausizza	sausage

Pan de Sal (Fresh Breakfast Rolls)

Pan de sal is a familiar bread roll. The Filipino version differs slightly in that it is sweeter than the regular roll and delicious when eaten warm from the oven with butter.

2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 cups flour
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

Soften the yeast in 2 cups lukewarm water with 1 teaspoon sugar added. Set aside for 6 to 7 minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and 1/4 cup oil. Add the softened yeast and 3 cups flour. Blend well, gradually adding the remaining 3 cups flour and mixing until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board, and knead until smooth, 8 to 9 minutes.* Form the dough into a ball, and place in a lightly greased bowl. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise in a warm place away from drafts (inside a kitchen cupboard) for 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Punch down. Roll out on a floured board to 3/4-inch thickness, and cut into 1 1/2-inch strips. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon bread crumbs. Let rise for another 15 minutes.

Cut dough into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Arrange on a lightly greased cookie sheet, cut side up, about 1 1/2-inches apart. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons bread crumbs. Let rise for 30 minutes more, or until the dough doubles again in size.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake the pan de sal for 12 to 15 minutes, or until light brown. This recipe may be halved, or freeze the leftovers. Yields about 36 rolls.

*Tip: To knead the dough, curve your fingers over it and press down with the heels of your palms. Give the dough a quarter turn, fold it over, and push down again. Knead it until it is elastic and has a satin sheen.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Crostini al Pomodoro (Tomato and Herb Crostini)

The first of the four recipes featured in Diane Nocentini and Madeline Armillotta's video cooking blog entry:

Makes six servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

8 to 10 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1 baguette, sliced into rounds and toasted

Combine all ingredients except the bread, and mix well. Spoon into the toasted bread rounds and serve.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Poori (Poori Bread)

Another recipe from Taste of Nepal by Jyoti Pathak.

Poori, pronounced "poo-ree," is a deep-fried puffed bread, generally prepared from wheat flour. The dough can be prepared in advance, but the rolling and frying should be done just before serving. Poori are fried in bubbling bot oil and puff up into steam-filled balloons. Poori tastes best if eaten piping hot, puffed with a crispy outside and a moist inside. Though it starts to lose its puffiness and becomes somewhat chewy and tough when cold, poori is still quite tasty when eaten that way.

It is one of the most popular breads and a classic accompaniment to any Nepali meal, and it is also eaten during family celebrations and religious festivals. It is prepared for naivedya, sacred food that is ritualistically offered to deities during worship. At the same time, it is often packed for picnics and long journey as a good traveling bread.

Makes 12 to 14 (5-inch) breads.

2 1/2 cups atta flour (See Note below) or 1/2 cup whole wheat flour mixed with 1 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour, plus an extra 1/2 cup for rolling
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil

(Note: Atta Flour is also known as chapatti or durham whole wheat flour. This fine-textured flour is processed from low-gluten wheat and used in making most unleavened breads. Since this flour is low in gluten, it is easier to knead and roll.)

In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and mix by hand until all ingredients are well combined. Gradually add 3/4 to 1 cup of water, to form a dough that holds together. Knead in the bowl until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should be moderately stiff. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of flour; if it feels too firm, add a little water and knead some more. Cover with a plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes.

When the dough is well rested, place it on a flat surface and knead it until pliable, about 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a rope about 2 inches in diameter and divide it into twelve to fourteen equal portions, Roll each portion into a ball and coat it with a little flour. Flatten the balls with a rolling pin and roll into 4 to 5-inch, circles, about 1/4 inch thick. Keep the dough covered with damp towels while working. Place the circles on a tray so they are not touching each other.

Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350° to 374° (see Note below). Test for readiness by placing a small piece of dough into the hot oil. If it bubbles and rises to the surface immediately, it is ready. Place the circles into the oil, one piece at a time. The dough will sink to the bottom, but will immediately rise up. Use light pressure with the back of a slotted spoon to submerge the dough until it puffs. Then, turn it over to brown the second side. The second side of poori is slightly heavier, so fry it longer until golden. Remove the poori with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough. Serve immediately, if possible, or keep warm, covered, until ready serve.

Note: While frying, be careful to keep the oil at 350° to 375° for even cooking. If the oil is too hot, the poori will brown too fast and may remain doughy add uncooked inside. If the oil is not hot enough, it will not puff up and the dough will absorb a lot of fat.

Pictures courtesy of Jyoti Pathak.