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This menu was my initial plan given how I am cooking from recipes this year and given that I have a specific target number for how many of those recipes I want to do. Doing 5-6 recipes for the big holidays ensures I hit that number. Though the decision did waver considerably between this menu and a more... popular menu. In the end, I chose this because the other menu included ice cream and it’s still too damn cold for ice cream, and this menu’s dessert sounds really good. Not all of these are new recipes, the rolls are store bought because I really like this mix of rolls, I’ve done pickled eggs numerous times, I’ve done the penne with mushroom pesto twice, and the sauteed carrots with kielbasa is just a spin off of another recipe I’ve tried in the last few months. Basically, it’s four new recipes, with one spin-off, one repeat, one of my own recipes, and one store bought item. As for that other menu, don’t worry, it’s coming.
Leg of Lamb Open-Faced Sandwich with Kalamata Olive Saltsa
Grilled Herbed Red Potatoes
Sauteed Baby Carrots with Kielbasa
Penne Rigate with Mushroom Pesto
Nutty Green Beans
Mixed Rolls (store bought)
Lemon & Dill Pickled Eggs
Amaretto Peach Cheesecake (not pictured)
LEG OF LAMB OPEN-FACED SANDWICH with BLACK OLIVE SALTSA
DERIVED FROM: The Food Network (foodtv.com)
This recipe did not specify whether the leg of lamb was with bone-in or bone-out. The weight suggests bone-in, I opted for bone-out since it is meant for sandwiches, and those weighed only 4-5 pounds which means my cook time was slightly adjusted. This recipe is at least twenty years old, as such, another change I made is a sign of the times. The recipe calls for goat cheese, I am not a fan of goat cheese mostly due to it’s spreadability, or lack thereof. For most spreadable requests, my first choice is usually whipped cream cheese. Whipped cream cheese wasn’t really a thing twenty years ago. However, I still decided to go with goat cheese. The problem with that is I opted for goat cheese crumbles instead, only to later look at the recipe and see it called for the cheese to be spread. So I did the most rational thing and got some whipped cream cheese and combined it with the goat cheese crumbles for the win.
170 g. (1 c.) Kalamata Olives
1 Calabrian Chile
1 Garlic Clove
15 g. (1 tbsp.) Capers (chopped)
2-3 g. (1 tbsp.) fresh Oregano (finely chopped)
1 tsp. Black Pepper
120 ml. (½ c.) Olive Oil
* Use food processor to grind, cover and set aside
preheat oven to 500 degrees
Leg of Lamb (5-6 pd.)
8 small sprigs fresh Rosemary
3 Garlic Cloves (thinly sliced)
* Clean and trim leg of lamb, remove any hard fat
* Cut eight slits in lamb and stuff with rosemary and garlic slices
If using a boneless leg of lamb (because it's all that's available, or all you want to pay, or all you want to eat) then reduce the marinade ingredients by about half.
60 ml. (1/4 c.) Olive Oil
1 Lemon (juiced)
1 tbsp. dry Oregano
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
* Rub olive oil, lemon, oregano, salt, and pepper into leg
* Roast for 30 minutes
lower heat to 375 degrees
Add water to pan if necessary
* Roast for about 3 ½ hours, or until internal temp of 120-135 F degrees
For a 4-5 pd. boneless leg of lamb, roast for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. I do not care for medium rare lamb, or even medium, so I'll be leaning towards the longer end of cook time and aiming for an internal temp around 150 degrees.
* Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes
4 Pitas (halved)
cooked Lamb (thinly sliced)
Black Olive Saltsa
Goat Cheese (spread)
226 g. (8 oz.) Arugula
* Toast pita bread
* Spread goat cheese on inside of pita
* Add 4-5 slices of lamb
* Top with black olive saltsa and arugula
This is a good sandwich. If I were to do it again, I might not choose pitas and instead opt for some type of roll but I like the combinations of flavors that this delivers.
GRILLED HERBED RED POTATOES
DERIVED FROM: The Food Network (foodtv.com)
I have done something exactly like these before for some holiday, these are a bit more fine tuned.
14 Red Potatoes (about 4 pds.)
* Slice potatoes into 1/8" thick rounds
60 ml. (1/4 c.) Olive Oil
2 tsp. dry Dill
2 tsp. dry Thyme
Kosher Salt (as desired)
Cracked Black Pepper (as desired)
* Toss potatoes in oil, dill, thyme, salt, and pepper
preheat grill or grill pan
* Grill in batches over medium eat, turn occasionally, until tender (about 10 minutes.)
SAUTEED CARROTS with KIELBASA
This was a spin-off of a recipe I did from (foodtv.com) that included brussels sprouts and chorizo. I came up with this idea then because I think cooked carrot side dishes with big meals are just awful, so maybe this fixes that, or maybe cooked carrots are still the worst thing on the plate.
680 g. (1 ½ pd.) Baby Carrots (halved)
water
* Add carrots to boiling water for about 10 minutes
* Remove with slotted spoon and add to ice water for about 5 minutes
* Remove from water and set aside
30 ml. (2 tbsp.) Extra Light Olive Oil
* Heat oil in pan on medium heat, until oil begins to smoke
226 g. (8 oz.) Smoked Kielbasa (diced)
170 g. (6 oz.) White Onion (diced)
1 Garlic Clove (minced)
* Add kielbasa to pan and allow to crisp
* Add onion and garlic and allow to become translucent
* Increase temp to high
* Add carrots and saute for about three minutes
240 ml. (1 c.) Chicken Stock
* Add stock and allow to reduce to about 1/4 cup
15 g. Unsalted Butter
Kosher Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
* Finish with butter, salt, and pepper for about three minutes
* Serve when ready.
PENNE with MUSHROOM PESTO
DERIVED FROM: The Food Network (foodtv.com)
Third time doing this recipe since I first did it a couple months ago, think it’s great, and did it again. When looking at sides for the Easter menu, this was my first choice for the pasta option.
15 ml. (1 tbsp.) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
280-285 g. (10 oz.) White Mushrooms
15 ml. (1 tbsp.) Worcestershire
15 ml. (1 tbsp.) Medium Dry Sherry (if desired)
Salt
Pepper
* Pulse mushrooms through food processor until finely chopped
* In 10- 12" skillet, heat oil on moderate high heat until hot but not smoking
* Saute mushrooms with Worcestershire, sherry, salt, and pepper until mushrooms liquid has cooked off and they begin to brown, about 10 minutes
1 Garlic Clove (minced)
1/4 tsp. Salt
* Mash garlic and salt into a paste
sauteed Mushrooms
45 g. (3 tbsp.) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
30 g. (1/4 c.) Pine Nuts
10 g. (1/4 c.) fresh grated Parmesan
* Puree the mushrooms, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and olive oil
20 g. (½ c.) packed fresh Parsley Leaves
* Add parsley and pulse until finely chopped
* Cover with plastic wrap until ready to use, up to one week
makes 280 grams
453 g. (16 oz.) dry Penne Rigate
* Cook pasta per instructions, until al dente
* Reserve one cup of pasta water before draining
160 ml. (2/3 c.) Reserved Pasta Water
Mushroom Pesto
cooked Penne Rigate
* Combine mushroom pesto with pasta water until consistent
* Toss with pasta, adding remaining pasta water if necessary.
NUTTY GREEN BEANS
DERIVED FROM: The Food Network (foodtv.com)
I’m sure every seasoned home cook has a very similar recipe. I don’t think I’ve ever used pecans before, decided to give this one a try. One other thing my simiilar recipes have not icnluded that this recipe does - almost a full stick of butter.
water
2 tsp. Salt
* Add salt to a large pot or pan of water andf bring to a boil
680 g. (1 ½ pd. ) Green Beans
* Add green beans till tender (about 5 minutes)
* Drain and cool under tap water
85 g. (6 tbsp.) Unsalted Butter
85 g. (3/4 c.) chopped Pecans (coarse)
7-8 ml. (1 ½ tsp.) Worcestershire Sauce
½ tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked Black Pepper
* Add butter to same pot or pan, and melt on medium-high heat
* Add pecans, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper
* Stir frequently until pecans are golden brown (3-4 minutes)
* Add green beans, stir until consistent and warm
* Serve when ready.
LEMON & DILL PICKLED EGGS
It's not Easter without eggs. Last year I did a small jar, and I did consider doing something else gg related, but in the end I decided to go back to the big jar of eggs. The pickled eggs were a bit rushed this year on account of my grocery day falling on the Friday before Easter which just happens to also be the day that everyone and their grandmother decided to do their grocery shopping. I have to be honest I don't usually wait until the Friday before Easter because I like to do the pickled a eggs a couple days earlier, I think I am going to have to remember to not make that mistake again. Since it was the Friday before Easter, I was not finding any of the ingredients I needed for this at numerous locations. As I was going through this process, I came up with the idea to try lemons. I did finally find some fresh dill, but no red chiles, so I decided to try the lemons.
Surprisingly, even though I was rushing to get these pickled as soon as possible on Friday, their doneness was perfect. No gray spots in the yolk, not undone either, with a perfectly creamy center with no dryness. Rushing the process may have helped limit all residual cooking.
30-32 Eggs
* Boil eggs to medium or hard boiled
* Put eggs in ice water for about ten minutes
* Peel and allow to cool
840 ml. (3 1/2 c.) cold water
480 ml. (2 c.) White Vinegar
1 tbsp. Black Peppercorns
2 tsp. Coarse Salt
1 Lemon (sliced)
2-3 Bunches of fresh Dill Weed
* Mix and add dill bunches to corners sides
* Add eggs to mason jar
* Close and seal
* Give it a good shake and refrigerate.
AMARETTO PEACH CHEESECAKE
DERIVED FROM: The Food Network (foodtv.com)
I’ve done a cheesecake for Easter before. There are quite a few cheesecake recipes in the books I am using. This one clicked most with Easter for.
80 g. (1/3 c.) Sugar
42 g. (3 tbsp.) Margarine
* Beat sugar and margarine until light and fluffy
1 Egg
* Blend in egg
90 g. (3/4 c.) Unbleached A.P. Flour
* Mix in flour until consistent
* Spread dough into bottom of 9" springform pan
* Bake @ 450 F degrees for 10 minutes
678 g. (24 oz.) Cream Cheese (softened)
150 g. (3/4 c.) Sugar
25 g. (3 tbsp.) Unbleached A.P. Flour
* Beat until consistent
3 Eggs
* Add eggs one at a time, mixing each in until consistent
453 g. (16 oz.) Peach Halves (can, well drained)
60 ml. (1/4 c.) Amaretto
* Puree peaches
* Add peaches and Amaretto to cream cheese base, mix until consistent
* Pour over crust
* Bake at 450 F degrees for 10 minutes
* Reduce to 250 F degrees and bake for 65 minutes
* Loosen from rim of pan, cool before removing ring, and refrigerate
Peach Slices
Sliced Almonds
* Garnish with peach slices and almonds.
David and I went to Mom's house and had an untraditional meal for Easter...pizza! Then we went out to the Conservation Center. One of my azaleas was blooming today and so was my dogwood. It was a beautiful day!
Bizarre ass hotel! No tea and coffee facilities in the rooms and no sight of a breakfast area (despite them having a breakfast menu on the reception desk when we checked in). When we asked where to get breakfast, we were pointed to the adjoining Tully's chain café. Oh well. Guess I'll try the silly looking Easter latte :p
Easter egg critters: This is the first set that I made for April 2010. I'm starting out my new creations on for American Folk Arts.
Rev. Keith M. Jones of Spelman Chapel puts on his robes before Easter Sunday services at the chapel.
Easter Fayre afernoon (March) at Hartlepool College of Further Education.
All photographs by Gary Kester, Hartlepool College of Further Education ©2013