An Italian Easter, from Ruth Rogers

All across Italy, Easter coincides with the arrival of warm weather and the beloved ingredients of spring – peas, broad beans, asparagus and, in Tuscany, new-season lamb. The menu, though, will vary from region to region, and asking an Italian what composes their Easter lunch will give you a clue as to where they are from. I vividly remember a lunch we had years ago with our family who live in the hills surrounding Florence – a beautiful small leg of lamb studded with garlic and rosemary, with cannellini beans and a carpaccio of artichokes and parmesan. Lucia, my cousin, would walk into the fields around her house and pick whatever wild herbs and leaves she could find and then add them to the hard Tuscan bread she'd soaked in the red-wine vinegar she had made herself. We bought pastries and chocolate Easter eggs from a pasticceria in Florence, and of course there was colomba, the dove-shaped panettone shaken in the bag with powdered sugar. A friend from Naples tells me that there they use the shoulder rather than the leg of lamb and cook it slowly, finishing it at the end with a sauce of parmesan and egg, and that the celebratory cake is the pastiera, a cheesecake made with the freshest spring ricotta, candied fruit and wheat berries. Our River Café Easter menu is Tuscan inspired: an antipasto of raw artichoke salad with parmesan, an asparagus risotto and a chargrilled leg of lamb with braised spring greens and the bread sauce from my cousin Lucia. Right now the Tuscan markets are full of the morellini artichokes from La Maremma. They have a delicate flavour when raw, and slicing them thinly at the last minute and tossing them with lemon, olive oil and slivers of parmesan makes the perfect antipasto, to be followed by a primo of asparagus risotto. Easter is a time for celebration: the end of winter, the arrival of spring. As the Italians say: Natale con i tuoi ; pasqua con chi vuoi – Christmas with your family, Easter with whoever you like. Raw artichoke salad: Insalata di carciofi crudi Serves six Violetta artichokes 6, small celery heart 1, with leaves lemons juice of 2 extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp, plus extra to serve sea salt black pepper freshly ground parmesan 100g, very finely shaved Clean and prepare the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves, leaving only the pale tender centre. Trim the tops of the artichokes, exposing the choke. Remove with a teaspoon if rough or sharp. Trim the stalk of the artichoke to 4cm and peel with a potato peeler. Rub with half a lemon to stop the artichokes from discolouring. Thinly slice the celery hearts, leaves and artichokes and dress with the remaining lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover with thin shavings of parmesan and finish with more extra-virgin olive oil. Asparagus risotto: Risotto di asparagi Serves six asparagus 900g, trimmed chicken stock 1 litre sea salt freshly ground black pepper red onion 1 small, peeled and finely chopped unsalted butter 50g extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp risotto rice 300g vermouth 75ml parmesan 175g, freshly grated Heat the chicken stock and check for seasoning. Cut the tips off the asparagus and set to one side. Chop the tender parts of the stalks to approximately 2.5cm pieces. Blanch the asparagus tips for 2 minutes, then blanch the stalks for about 3 minutes. In a blender pulse the stalks with a ladle of stock. In a heavy saucepan cook the onion with half the butter and the olive oil over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft. Add the rice and cook gently, stirring, for 2 minutes to coat the rice with the oil. Start to add the stock, ladleful by ladleful, stirring constantly, allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. Continue until the rice is al dente, usually about 20 minutes; add the stalk purée, vermouth, asparagus tips, the rest of the butter and the parmesan. Stir to combine and season, then serve with parmesan. Marinaged grilled lamb: Agnello marinato alla griglia New season small lamb is perfect for grilling – ask your butcher to debone the leg and "butterfly" so that it cooks evenly. Serves six spring lamb 1 leg, about 2.25kg, butterflied garlic 5 cloves, peeled and crushed rosemary 2 tbsp chopped leaves coarsely ground black pepper a good pinch lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp sea salt 1 tbsp Mix the crushed garlic, rosemary and pepper in a bowl and rub into the cut side of the meat. Place the meat in a shallow dish and pour over the lemon juice and olive oil. Turn the meat a couple of times to make sure it is coated, then cover. Leave to marinate at room temperature overnight or for at least 4 hours, turning the meat occasionally. Preheat the grill to a very high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry. Season with salt. Carefully place the meat on the grill and seal on both sides. Lower the heat and continue to grill to the desired degree of pinkness, turning once. Allow at least 8 minutes per side. Etruscan salsa sourdough bread ¼ loaf, crusts removed garlic 1 clove, peeled and finely sliced red-wine vinegar 100ml rosemary , sage, mint, thyme and marjoram 1 tbsp of each, finely chopped pine nuts 75g dried red chilli 1, crumbled extra-virgin olive oil Break up the bread and put it in a bowl with the garlic, vinegar and 300ml of water. Leave for 30 minutes. Chop the herbs together with the pine nuts. Squeeze out the excess water and vinegar from the bread and mix with the herbs . Pass through a mouli. Slowly add 150ml of olive oil and the chilli and season to taste. Mixed greens: erbette saltate In this recipe, erbette saltate is made with chard, cime, rocket and cicoria, but you can vary the type of greens you use. Swiss chard 300g of leaves only or large-leaf spinach, stalks discarded rocket 300g cime di rapa 300g bitter green cicoria 300g garlic 3 cloves, peeled and finely sliced fennel seeds 1 tsp dried red chilli 2, crumbled extra-virgin olive oil Cook the greens separately in boiling salted water. Cook the chard or spinach first; it will take 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain. Cook the rocket next, for 3 minutes. Remove and drain. Cook the cime di rapa – you may have to add more salt and water to the pot – for 8 minutes or until tender. Remove and drain. Finally cook the cicoria for 10 minutes, or until tender, then drain. Chop all the greens together, keeping them moist. Heat 4 tbsp of olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan and add the garlic. Fry until golden, then add the fennel seeds and chillies and season the mixture. Add the mixed greens to the pan, stir to combine, and cook for 3 minutes. Serve drizzled with olive oil. For more information, go to rivercafe.co.uk