In Italy, Easter celebrations stretch across the entire Holy Week, including La Pasquetta, or Easter Monday. Family sits at the center of the festivities and meals are frequent, but none is as special as the Easter Sunday spread—something Chef Amedeo Melotto remembers well.
Chef Melotto grew up in Mozzecane, a small town in the northern province of Verona, Italy, often described as the beginning of “the rice road.” Here, rice fields stretch west toward Piedmont, making risotto a staple of the region. “Risotto represents the culinary culture of Northern Italy,” says Melotto. “It was served at nearly every family celebration.”
It takes patience and technique to prepare the perfect risotto, which Melotto learned from his father, who was also a chef. “It should be stirred slowly and finished creamy—‘all’onda,’” he says.
Before his current role as chef de cuisine at Lido Restaurant within the Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Surfside, Florida, Melotto began his career cooking in a rustic trattoria in the hills of Valpolicella. Although he later trained internationally to refine his craft, his Easter menu remains rooted in those early days in the kitchen. “This menu reflects the flavors and traditions that shaped the way I cook,” says Melotto.
In particular, this combination of risotto, lamb, and Pastiera Napoletana, the traditional Easter tart, brings him back to childhood Easters. “The whole family would gather to celebrate over a lively lunch,” he shares. “While some of these dishes appear throughout the year, they always feel most special during Easter because of those memories.”
To recreate the leisurely pace of an Italian Easter lunch, Chef Melotto recommends opening a crisp Italian white wine like Soave or Verdicchio to begin the meal with asparagus risotto. “Then move to a structured red like Chianti Classico or Brunello di Montalcino with the lamb,” he advises.
Most importantly, remember patience as you cook the meal—lamb should always rest before slicing, and Pastiera is best left overnight so its flavors can fully develop—but also with the day itself, embracing the slower pace of Easter Sunday.
