Francine Segan

Homey and comforting, this lovely pie comes together without much fuss. Thin egg noodles are layered with ham, cheese, and mushrooms; tiny peas scattered between the layers add a green burst of flavor. The dish is baked until beautifully golden, sliced like pie, and eaten at room temperature. This is traditionally baked on the day before Easter, to be eaten as part of the family picnics enjoyed on Angel's Monday, Italy's national holiday the day after Easter.

You can makezuppa inglesewith all sorts of readymade cookies or cakes. Here it's made withcolomba, Italy's traditional Easter cake. I lovecolomba'ssoft yeasty cake texture and fabulous buttery aroma. My favorite part is the top of the cake, which has a crisp, sweet almond crust. In Italy, the day after Easter is calledPasquetta, "Little Easter," or Il Lunedi dell'Angelo, "Angel's Monday." Italians traditionally go on a picnic that day, the first outdoor excursion since the start of winter. Dessert includes all the leftover Easter sweets likepastiera,colombacake, or Easter eggs.

Editor's note:Use this recipe to make Francine Segan'sTorta Mimosa. Pan di spagna, "bread of Spain," is a key ingredient in hundreds of classic Italian desserts likezuccotoand Sicilian cassata.Pan di spagna'slight and airy texture absorbs fillings amazingly well, so it stacks wonderfully, allowing you to create tall, moist layer cakes.

Editor's note:Use this recipe to make Francine Segan'sTorta Mimosa.Creamy custard seasoned with aromatic vanilla, this is an absolute basic, used to make hundreds of classic Italian desserts, including torta della nonna andzuppa inglese. It's also served plain, accompanied by fresh fruit, slices ofpandoroorpanettone, or cookies. This is a simple and very forgiving recipe.

Region:Emilia-Romagna and popular throughout nothern ItalyThis cake, which looks like a bouquet of mimosa flowers, is eaten on March 8th in celebration of International Women's Day—Festa della Donna—a sort of BFF day celebrating womanhood and female friendships. The cake is made from two basic recipes: sponge cake and pastry cream. Each is worth learning, as with them you can make myriad classic Italian desserts. This lovely cake is better if eaten a day or two after its made. It keeps nicely for up to a week and freezes perfectly.

"Pease porridge in the pot nine days old" fairly well summarizes the technique of stew preparation in Shakespeare's day. A thick soup would have been left cooking for days at a time, with new vegetables, stock, and bits of leftover meat continually added. This Italian version contains rich duck meat, a delicious and unusual addition to pea soup.