European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 27, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Holy water by the local priest these buns Are eaten As part of the easter sunday meal. Residents of the Lazio Region Southeast of Rome have their own particular pizza Pasqualina a cake made from Ricotta cheese eggs and Honey quite different from the similarly named pizza of Abruzzi. Although Best know for their easter vegetable tart Torta Pasqualina the genoese also make pan do be Sweet bread for this Holiday. Similar to Milan s famous yeast cake panettone the genoese version contains raisins candied fruit Peel Pine nuts and sometimes fennel seeds. Farther Down the coast the City of Castelnuovo i Magra celebrates easter with focaccia Castell Lovese Sweet buns made from the unlikely combination of Cornmeal butter Olive Oil and Pine nuts. It is traditional for the religious fraternities of the City to give these buns to participants in the procession of the Cross on Good Friday. In the Veneto Region each City seems to have its own special easter bread Bun or cookie the recipes for which Date from centuries Long past. Venice boasts its Futassa or Fugazzi Dipasqua a Large yeast Bun always accompanied for dunking purposes by Coffee milk or hot chocolate. The cities of Este and Vicenza each have their own easter focaccia Sweet Bun different still from the Paschal Polentini of Cittadella. Not to be outdone Ferrara in the adjacent Region of Emilia Romagna has its own easter specially Ciambella Sfoglia a i Ferrara known locally As Bra Adela. Made of puff pastry it is shaped like a ring glazed on top with egg Yolk and sprinkled with sugar. In the same Region the port City of Cesena Tico makes ciambello col Buco rings of dough Flavoured with Lemon Peel and Anise then deep Fried like fritters. In fact ring shaped ciambello of various sorts Are popular throughout Italy traditionally eaten on easter monday Cesena Tico s ciambello Are associated with an interesting old custom the Shell of the first egg put into the dough must be cracked on the head of a boy supposedly to keep bad Luck at Bay. Some of my favorite italian easter breads come from the medieval town of Subbio and nearby villages in the Region of Umbria. Known variously As Torta i Formaggio Torta Dipasqua i Formaggio and Brescia the yeast raised loaves of bread Are shaped like Short fat cylinders with a puffy dome on top similar in fact to russian easter Kulich. Baked into the dough Are Small chunks of cheese whose flavor permeates these tasty specialities. On the Island of Sicily a number of special sweets and breads Are made for the easter season. Sweet pastry cylinders known As cannoli Are stuffed with a sweetened Cream cheese filling often Flavoured with almonds pieces of candied fruit or chopped chocolate. Sicily is especially Well known for its Cassata Siciliana served at both easter and Christmas Rich chilled dessert cake made from several layers of sponge cake and Ricotta cheese filling and Flavoured with liqueurs candied fruits and bits of chocolate. And the edible Centrepiece of a traditional sicilian easter dinner is a Large yeast bread shaped like a Crown representing Christ s Crown of Thorn with coloured eggs embedded in it. Although originally from the Region of Lombardy the easter specially that s probably Best known throughout All of Italy today is the Colomba Dipasqua or Colomba Pasquale Sweet yeast bread made in the shape of a Dove Colomba. About a month a before easter the pastry shops and food stores in Italy Are invaded by flocks of these baked doves of various sizes and decorations who Light on every available counter and shelf just waiting to be taken Home by a suitable hungry child or adult. I myself have never been Able to resist buying one. Made from the same Type of dough As Milan s panettone Colombe Dipasqua can be Flavoured with such ingredients As candied Orange Peel grated fresh Lemon Peel raisins bits of chocolate and toasted almonds. Some of the fancier ones have pockets of Orange or Champagne Flavoured pastry Cream inside. Others Are made with swirls of Light and dark chocolate coloured dough like Marble cakes. The exteriors of Plain Colombe Are merely brushed with an egg Yolk Glaze before baking then sprinkled with sugar. More elaborate ones Are covered with an icing confectioners sugar chocolate Orange or Almond past and sometimes decorated with whole almonds chopped nuts or designs in contrasting color of icing. The prettiest one i have seen was frosted with a Pale Rose Pink icing accented with White and Silver sugar Flowers and a tiny White sugar Dove with Buona Pasqua Happy easter written in White icing script across the top. Two italian legends account for the baking of Dove shaped breads at easter. The first commemorates the Battle of Lignano in the Spring of 1176, when the combined forces of Milan and the Lombard league Defeated emperor Frederick i Barbarossa and his army of the holy roman Empire. During the Battle two doves supposedly landed near the flags of the milanese. The defenders saw these doves symbols of the holy ghost As a sign of divine Protection which inspired them to fight until Victory was theirs. A less romantic interpretation is that they were just ticked off at old Barbarossa who had already destroyed the City of Milan twice in the past 22 years the other Colomba legend in 600 years older than Milan s version and it comes from Pavia a City South of Milan but still in the Region of Lombardy. According to the Pavian Albion King of the Longobardy Laid siege to the City for three years and finally conquered it. He then ordered his troops to destroy Pavia but divine intervention was waiting in the wings. As Albion entered the City a Beautiful girl ran up to him and gave him a cake shaped like a Dove a Symbol of peace since biblical times. As a result of the gesture Albion decided to spare the City and make it his capital. History does t Tell us whether it was the girl or the Dove cake that caused him to change his mind. Colomba Dipasqua italian easter Dove bread 3 Large eggs i cup unsalted butter a cup milk 1 package 1 scant Tablespoon Active dry yeast 31/2 cups All purpose flour v2 cup sugar 1/4 Teaspoon Salt Viz cup raisins 1/2 cup finely chopped candied Orange Peel 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted almonds grated Peel of one Lemon. Glaze 1 egg Yolk 1 Teaspoon milk let the eggs and butter come to room temperature. Scald the milk in a Small Saucepan then let it Cool to lukewarm. In a medi urn size bowl dissolve the yeast and1 Teaspoon of sugar in the warm  it cup of flour into the milk and whisk Well until the ingredients Are blended. Set the yeast mixture covered with plastic wrap in a warm place to Rise until it has doubled in bulk about 30minutes. In another medium bowl beat together the softened butter and Viz cup sugar until the mixture is Light and Fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating Well after each addition. Stir in the Salt then the yeast mixture. Sift in the remaining 3 cups of flour 1 cup at a time mixing Well after each addition knead the dough until it is smooth Ancl elastic about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with the dough Hook of an electric mixer. Form the dough into a Large Flat Circle and Sprinkle the raisins candied Orange Peel chopped almonds and grated Lemon Peel Over the dough. Fold the edges of the dough toward the Center Forroi the dough into a Ball and knead until the raisins Peel and nuts Are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Place the dough into a Large Well buttered bowl invert the dough once cover it with a Kitchen Towel and let it Rise in a warm place until it has doubled in bulk 1 to 2 hours. Punch Down the dough and knead it gently on a lightly floured surface. If using a traditional italian Colomba bread pan see note at end of recipe butter the insides of the pan Well and press the dough into an even layer in the pan cover with a Kitchen Towel and let the dough sit in a warm place until it has risen almost to the top of the pan about 1 hour. If forming the dough by hand first Divide it into 2 equal parts. Use one of the halves to shape the body head and Tail of the Dove making the Bird about 14 inches Long. Divide the remaining dough in half again and use each half to form the wings attaching them to each Side of the Dove s body making a total wingspan of about 8 to 10 inches. As you make each part of the Dove carefully Transfer it to a Well buttered baking Sheet. When the Bird is completely formed Pat the dough Down until it is of equal thickness in All parts of the Bird about 1 Inch thick All Over. Cover and let Rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in bulk about 1 hour. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Brush the surface of the dough with a Glaze made beating 1 egg Yolk with 1 Teaspoon of milk then Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar Over the top of the Colomba. Bake in the pre heated oven for about 40 minutes or until the top is browned and a skewer inserted in the dough comes out clean. Let the Colomba Cool in the pan set on a Cooling rack for 10 minutes then carefully remove it from the pan and let it continue to Cool on the rack. If you plan to put an icing on the Colomba let the bread first Cool completely makes 1 Large Colomba. Notes 1 in Italy you can buy special tin pans shaped like doves for baking Colomba at Home. These Are usually about 14 inches Long and 8 inches wide at their longest and widest Points. Some of the pans have Bottoms in them the ones that Don t must be placed on a buttered baking Sheet when you put the dough into the pan 2 you can substitute 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate bits for the raisins and or omit the almonds to vary the flavor of the dough. You can also soak the raisins and candied Peel for a few hours in 1/4 cup of Brandy rum or Marsala wine before using them in the recipe. Drain the fruits before adding them to the dough. 3 after the Colomba has cooled completely you can cover it with the chocolate Vanilla Orange Lemon or Almond icing of your Choice. A simple Glaze can be made from 1 cup of confectioners sugar mixed until smooth with 2 Tablespoons milk Marsala wine or Orange liqueur. C 1986 Sharon Hudgins March 27,1986 stripes Magazine