Easter Dinner

There is nothing like a home cooked Easter Cake, but if you are running short of time click here and purchase the cake of your dreams.

Easter Ham

1 7 to 8 pound fully cooked smoked ham shank ·
1 cup maple syrup ·
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar ·
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard ·whole cloves
How to Make Your Easter Ham
Combine syrup, vinegar and mustard. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour about 1/2 cup mixture over ham and bake, uncovered, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Baste every 30 minutes with additional sauce. Remove ham from oven and score fat into diamond shapes. Insert a clove into each diamond. Bake ham an additional 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 140 degrees. Let ham rest 15 minutes before carving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Two (1 pound each) halibut steaks (3/4-inch thick)
About 1/4 cup green olive paste (olivada)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil to drizzle over the top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove skin from steaks and the flesh away from the bone; you'll end up with 4 pieces of fish from each steak so you have 8 small fillets in all. Cut a slit on the side of each piece and stuff with some of olivada. Lightly season the two sides of the steaks with salt and pepper. Transfer them to a baking pan, drizzle the top with olive oil and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just cooked through.

Easy Baked Chicken & Potatoes For Easter

      1    3-4 pound fryer, cut into
           -serving pieces
      6    Potatoes, peeled & quartered
      1 c  Crushed tomatoes
      2 tb Parsley
      1 ts Basil
      2    Cloves garlic, minced
           Salt and pepper to taste
    1/4 c  Grated Parmesan cheese
      3 tb Vegetable oil
 
Wash chicken and wipe dry with paper toweling. Put enough oil in a large roasting pan to cover bottom of the pan.

Place chicken in pan and place potatoes between the chicken pieces.

Sprinkle tomatoes, parsley, basil, garlic, salt and pepper over the chicken and potatoes. Lastly, sprinkle with the grated cheese and the oil.

Bake in 375 degree F. oven for 1 1/4 hours, or until chicken is done.

Roast Spring Lamb with Artichokes

8 medium fresh artichokes (or 8 jarred artichoke hearts, rinsed well and halved)
1/2 cup olive oil
6 (1-pound) lamb shanks, cut 1-inch thick
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups lamb or beef stock
Salt
1/4 pound finely chopped serrano ham

Remove the outer leaves of the artichokes so that only the tender inner leaves remain. Bring a pot of water to boil, add the trimmed artichokes and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove artichokes, let cool, then slice in half in order to scoop out the chokes with a small spoon. Reserve hearts.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole, add the lamb shanks and saute until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer lamb shanks to a shallow roasting pan and scatter the onions and garlic in the pan. Pour in the meat stock, and roast for 30 minutes.

Place a small saucepan over low heat, add the ham and saute until lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the artichokes to the lamb, baste the meat and artichokes with the accumulated juices, and roast for another 10 minutes. Add the ham and roast another 5 minutes, or until lamb is desired doneness. Remove lamb from oven, let rest a few minutes, then serve warm.

Easter Egg Sandwiches

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
A dash of pepper

Utensils: small bowl, measuring spoons and cups, spoon or fork for mixing, serrated knife.
Mix all ingredients and spread on bread; makes 6 sandwiches.

Spring Vegetables with Shallots and Lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 shallots, cut crosswise into thin slices
Salt to taste
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
3 pounds fresh fava beans , shelled, blanched in boiling water 1 minute, and outer shell removed or 1 pound frozen Fordhook lima beans, blanched and if desired skinned in same manner
1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and saute shallots, stirring, until tender, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer shallots to a bowl. In fat remaining in skillet saute snap peas with salt to taste, stirring occasionally, until crisp tender and add shallots. In another skillet heat remaining oil and butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and saute asparagus with salt to taste, stirring occasionally until crisp tender. Add fava beans and saute, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add zest, lemon juice, snap peas and shallots, and salt and pepper to taste and saute, stirring until just heated through.

Asparagus, Tomato and Pine Nut Salad

1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
4 plum tomatoes, cored and quartered
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a large bowl combine the asparagus, tomatoes and pine nuts. In a small bowl blend together the garlic, vinegar, Dijon mustard and olive oil with a fork or whisk. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

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