A Simply Tuscan Easter Lunch

Easter begins early in Italy. Mass takes place several times throughout the day, but the most popular time to attend is early in the morning, which leaves several hours until dinner. And those hours, like most times in Italy, are best spent eating. Many Tuscans snack on holiday foods in the late morning and don't stop until almost dinnertime - like several hours of appetizers before a big meal.

For Easter lunch, I love simple dishes that mix tradition and modernity. Not only are the following recipes wonderful together, but many of them are ideal for any time you are expecting guests over a period of several hours. This type of fare you can leave out and enjoy throughout the day.

The two most traditional recipes in this menu are the Easter Torta with Cheese, which dates back to the days when people would bring their food, including eggs and loaves of bread, to church to have it blessed, which led to them baking the eggs right into the bread. The Tagliata of Lamb with Green Mint Gelatin honors the sacrificial animal. A leg of lamb is filled with herbs, rolled up, and roasted. The mint gelatin is a more sophisticated version of this condiment than most people are used to; it's not sweet, but rather offers the essence of mint in a very subtle way.

Lamb is also present - sort of - in the Mache Salad with Quail Eggs, because mache goes by the nicknames "lamb's lettuce" (it is grown in cornfields) and "lamb's tongue" (it has a tongue-like shape). This salad also reminds us of the meaning of spring because eggs are considered a symbol of life in most cultures. The quail eggs, nesting in the velvety mache and delicate watercress, make the dish look like an Easter egg hunt.

Bay Scallop and Asparagus Risotto is the perfect thing to eat on a slightly warm, sunny afternoon. Though risotto is made with lots of olive oil and butter, this dish seems very light because the scallops disappear into their surroundings - the entire plate is a composition of white and green.

Finally, Milk Pudding with Blueberry Compote offers a sweetness that looks ahead to summer.

"Easter Lunch" and the recipes that accompany this feature were written by Pino Luongo and are excerpted from his book, Simply Tuscan : Everyday Pleasures Inspired by Italy's Most Intriguing Region. The book features twenty complete, simple-to-prepare but sensational menus, arranged by season and prefaced by wise and witty commentary on the occasion for which the menu was designed, as well as on the food itself. You'll find menus for a variety of occasions, from an Easter Dinner, to a Summer Night Seafood Extravaganza, to Fall's First Truffle Dinner, to a New Year's Eve Buffet. Also included are menus for those more intimate events: A First Dinner for the In-Laws, a Dinner Date for Two, a Lunch for Children and Their Friends, and a Business Dinner.