No Need to Hunt for a Recipe for That Easter Feast: Coast Packing Company Offers Ideas for Tasty, Lard-laden Treats

VERNON, Calif., March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Easter, so the saying goes, is the single time in a year when it is safe to put all your eggs in one basket – and Coast Packing Company, the leading supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western U.S., says there's no reason to limit your foraging to eggs.

Ahead of Easter brunches and dinners this March 27, Coast is offering a trio of recipes to make any table. "Easter is a time for traditional dishes and family get-togethers, with the kitchen as the center of the celebration," said Eric R. Gustafson, CEO of the 93-year-old company.  "We believe in natural, minimally processed food, and there's nothing quite like cooking from scratch.  Home-based bakers and chefs are always wise to avoid industrially-produced partially hydrogenated fats in favor of animal fat shortenings, which have the benefit of being consistently delicious and, in moderation, promoting health."   

With appreciation to www.food.com, Put a Phork In It (https://putaphorkinit.wordpress.com) and www.grouprecipes.com, Coast sends Easter best wishes to all.  The recipes follow:

Neapolitan Easter Bread
http://www.food.com/recipe/neapolitan-easter-bread-164674

Ingredients

• 1 ounce flour
• 8 ounces lard
• One-eighth of an ounce yeast
• 5 whole eggs, unshelled
• 1 tablespoon pecorino romano cheese
• 1 tablespoon parmigiano
• 8 ounces diced salami
• 8 ounces diced prosciutto
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine the lard, yeast, and salt with the flour, adding as much water as necessary to get a rather soft dough. Work it steadily for about 10 minutes. Place it into a bowl previously sprinkled with olive oil, cover with a woolen cloth and leave it to rise in a lukewarm place. After about 1 1/2 hours, when the dough has leavened, place it on a pastry board, punch it with your hands to stop it swelling and flatten it out into a large square (about 15" x 24"). Spread on some lard and sprinkle with a lot of fresh cracked pepper.
2. Now add 1/4 lb each of chopped up salami and chopped up prosciutto. Sprinkle with coarsely grated pecorino romano or parmigiano. Roll up into a tube. Grease an angel food cake pan with lard and place tube inside (forming a ring).
3. Lay 5 eggs (wash them but do not boil them first) on top and top with a criss-cross of dough (two strips of dough, forming an X, laid on top to hold down the eggs). Let rise for another hour or more (again, should be more than doubled). When ready, place in oven at 375-400° F (185-200 C) until the top is nice and brown and looks ready. This normally takes about an hour to an hour and a half. The smell in your house should tell you it is ready.
4. Now the hard part. Let bread cool. Place in a paper bag (not plastic) and leave it for the following day (do not refrigerate). It really needs a day to get full flavor. Leftover is great toasted the following day or even topped with a mild cheese and tomato slices and toasted in the oven.
5. Serves six.

Easter Ham Pie
https://putaphorkinit.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/easter-recipes-2/

Easter Pie is a quiche-like savory pie filled with eggs, cheese and meat.

To make pie crust: Mix flour, sugar and salt. Add lard with a pastry blender or in food processor. Slowly add liquid ingredients and mix until crumbly. Do not overmix; dough will get tough. Divide into 4 balls. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll out on floured board.

For the pie:

• 3 cups cubed ham
• 3 cups cubed cheese (Colby, cooper sharp, Swiss, Italian basket cheese and white American)
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• pepper to taste

To make the pie: Preheat oven to 375°. Layer cubed ham and cheese in a pie plate lined with unbaked pie crust. (See pie crust recipe below.) Beat eggs, parmesan cheese and pepper in a small bowl. Pour egg mixture over ham and cheese. Place a top crust on pie and flute edges. Puncture top crust with a fork to vent. Bake for 55 minutes.

Pizza Rustica Neapolitan Savory Pie
http://www.grouprecipes.com/4248/pizza-rusticaneapolitan-savory-pie.html

Ingredients (for a 26 cm/5 1/4" pan)

For the crust: (pasta sfoglia or pasta brise)

• 300 grams flour
• 1 teaspoon yeast (or one bag)
• two tablespoons lard
• one handful or pecorino or parmigiano
• ground pepper as needed
• warm water as needed

Filling:

• 500 grams ricotta
• 150 grams provolone cheese
• 150 grams smoked scamorza cheese
• 150 grams Neapolitan salami
• 4 whole eggs
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese
• salt & pepper

Preparation of the dough:

• Pour the flour on a board in a mount than turn it in a volcano.
• Put the lard, pecorino, pepper in the middle.
• Dissolve the yeast in warm water and add until it reaches the right consistency (pizza dough), knead the dough till smooth.
• Let it raise till the volume doubles.

Preparation of the filling:

• Separate the yolks from the whites, beat the whites to a dense foam, adding a pinch of salt, and reserve them.
• Add the yolks to the ricotta and stir well, add the diced cheeses and salame and a handful of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino cheese and a pinch of pepper. Add a little salt if required.
• Delicately stir in the whites.
• Divide the dough in two parts, one bigger than the other, than roll it out in two disks. Smear the baking pan with butter and sprinkle uniformly with flour, removing the excess, than cover the bottom and the sides with the largest disk of crust. Pour the filling and level it out.
• Cover with the other crust disk and seal the borders with the fingers.
• Brush the top with an egg yolk.
• Bake at 175 C (350 F)° for an hour or until the top is golden.
• Serve either warm or at room temperature; serves 12.

About Coast Packing Company
Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings – particularly lard and beef tallow -- in the Western United States.  The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations and leading bakeries.  The company participates actively in various ethnic markets – from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets.  Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global.  In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more.

For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.

Media contact:
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
[email protected]
323/469-3397

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160309/342560

SOURCE Coast Packing Company