Easter and spring always go hand-in-hand and it’s impossible to resist the pleasure of spending more time outdoors, better still if you’re sitting at a festive table with family and friends. It’s not difficult to organise an outdoor meal for Easter: even a simple barbecue can become an unforgettable event with the addition of a few special touches.
How to prepare your garden for your Easter feast
We will, of course, start from the table which will be the focus of the meal. The ideal table setting will feature pastel colours (maybe just for the decorations) or be based on traditional white table linen decorated with some wild flowers or a spring centrepiece.
Don’t forget to cater for the comfort of your guests: if the garden is big, prepare a space in the shade with a picnic blanket and some cushions to rest on after feasting, or just to relax on when you leave the table.
This area could be transformed into a play space for small children (with a few toys or a board game) or into a lounge area where adults can sip after-dinner drinks and have a chat.
The Easter menu – outdoors or indoors
An Easter meal wouldn’t be an Easter meal without three main ingredients: eggs, asparagus and……more eggs, chocolate ones this time!
Recipes change depending on tastes, the age of your guests and their food preferences, without even considering the delicious specialties of various regions in Italy. Cjarsons from Carnia (Friuli Venezia Giulia region), spring lamb from Lazio, Cuddura Cull’Ova from Sicily, Brazadèl from Trentino: the Italian gastronomic culture offers enviable dishes from all over the country.
In Italy, a typical Easter menu generally consists of a light starter (usually egg-based), a first course involving seasonal vegetables (artichokes or asparagus) and a substantial second course. The meal usually ends with desert or a chocolate Easter egg.
The perfect tool to prepare this type of meal is a barbecue, especially a model with an oven: you can make pizzas, cakes and Focaccia galore in it while meat, fish or vegetables are cooking nicely on the grill.
The ideal picnic food is easy to cut, transport, serve and eat. Are you looking for some ideas, something a bit more exciting than a good old sandwich? In that case, check out our perfect recipes for an outdoor meal or picnic!
