L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.com 12 THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015 L'Italo-Americano Since a very young age, I can remember eating Crescia at Easter time. It's one of my earliest food memories. The aroma of this cheese bread with a good dose of black pepper would fill my Aunt Mary's house. My aunt, who is about to turn 90, made this every year. And I remember my father using this bread to make "scarpet- ta" with the leftover tomato sauce on his plate. In recent years, I've been making Crescia from a reci- pe in one of Mary Ann Esposito's cookbooks, which also refers to this as an Easter tradition. I always knew Crescia had its origins in the Marche region of Italy, where my grandfather was born and raised. Immigrants from Marche to the United States in the early part of the 20th century were vastly outnumbered by those from southern Italy and Sicily, but our hometown of Phillipsburg, NJ had a small-but-mighty group of Marchigiani. Fast forward to last October, when my sister and I and our significant others traveled to Marche for a small family reu- nion. Like so many other Italian immigrants who left family behind, my grandfather and one of his brothers came to the USA while their brother Francesco stayed in Italy. (Their sister Giuseppina immigrated to South America). We have stayed in con- tact with the descendants of my grandfather's brother Francesco, and in the nineties I had visited them in the tiny hilltop village, Scapezzano, where they still live, so I really looked forward to this new visit. My second cousin Massimo Becci and his wife Maria welco- med us with open arms and big family dinners. Their three chil- dren traveled home from as far away as Denmark to meet up with us. To my surprise, during one of these dinners, Maria served us homemade Crescia with the meal (in October). I told her that I thou- ght this was an Easter-only tradi- tion and she said that in fact they serve Crescia year round for spe- cial meals. I realized I too could have this comforting bread year- round! Maria was kind enough to give me her recipe (via Facebook – welcome to 2015!). She uses fresh yeast, which I found at Surfas in Culver City, CA, or you can sub- stitute dry active yeast. I tried this recipe with both and the fresh yeast is really terrific! Enjoy your Crescia!! Year- round! This recipe makes two round loaves. Ingredients and Directions (in metric and by weight – pull out your trusty scale): • 1 kg flour • 10 large eggs or 8 jumbo eggs • 1 glass (1 cup) olive oil • 300 g grated Parmesan chee- se • 100 g grated Pecorino Romano Crescia: It's not for just Easter anymore JOSEPH BECCI • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper • 1 teaspoon salt • 35 grams fresh yeast dissol- ved in a little milk -- or -- 2 @7g packets of instant yeast (I used Yeast Levure) • 300 g baby Swiss cheese cut into cubes Special equipment: • Stand mixer with a paddle attachment • Two 9-inch bread/cake tins (you could substitute loaf pan or just cook as a round on a sheet pan) • Wire cooling rack • Let all the ingredients come to room temperature • Gently beat the eggs and add to the stand mixer bowl. • Except for the cubed cheese, add the remaining ingredients. • Mix with the paddle attach- ment until the dough comes together in a wet mass. If the dough is too dry, add an additio- nal egg. • Turn the dough out into an oiled bowl and bring together the remaining bits of dough. Add in the cubed cheese and work it evenly into the dough. • Divide the dough and place in the bread tins. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm area to rise for about 1 hour (I turn my oven on and place on the cook top). • Preheat oven to 350-degrees and then bake the bread until gol- den brown on top, about 30 minutes. • Remove to a wire rack to cool. • Serve in wedges with a little butter or just as is! Joe and Michele Becci are a brother and sister team who love all things Italian. Together, from opposite coasts, they coauthor the blog OurItalian Table.com. Crescia, the traditional Easter bread of Le Marche MAESTRO BRAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE Also served at many of your favorite restaurants! www.maestrosausage.com Find us exclusively at the following retailers: Sorrento Italian Market 5518 Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230 Beef Palace Butcher Shop 5895 Warner & Springdale HunƟngton Beach, CA 92649 The Butchery 415 South Associated Rd Brea, CA 92821 The Butchery 103 E. 17th Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 The Meat House 23982 Alicia Parkway Mission Viejo, CA 92691 Vicente Foods 12027 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 Roma Italian Deli & Grocery 918 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91104 Bay CiƟes Imports 1517 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 Eastside Market Italian Deli 1013 Alpine St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Eagle Rock Italian Bakery 1726 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 CavareƩa's Italian Deli 22045 Sherman Way Canoga Park, CA 91303 Mickey's Deli 101 Hermosa Beach Ave. Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Grand View Market 12210 Venice Blvd Mar Vista, CA 90291 Venice Ranch Market 425 Rose Ave Venice, CA 90291

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