Easter Menu

As I mentioned earlier this week, we traditionally have lamb for Easter dinner. It's symbolic of Passover and
also a reminder of the Lamb of God who was slain for us. I almost always had lamb for Easter growing up and I hope to continue that tradition with my own family now.

Rosemary Leg of Lamb (adapted from the All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook)
5 lb boneless leg of lamb roast
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450F. Place lamb on rack in large roasting pan. In a cup or small bowl, combine herbs and spices and rub all over lamb. Roast lamb 15 mins then turn oven down to 350 and roast until meat thermometer reads 130F, about 1 hour longer. Internal temperature will keep rising approx another 5 degrees upon standing.

Roasted Asparagus
Wash and trim asparagus. Arrange in single layer on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle w/salt and pepper. Toss to coat. After lamb is done cooking, turn oven up to 400F and roast asparagus about 10 mins while lamb is resting, tossing once or twice during cooking.

Fingerling Potatoes
Scrub potatoes well and halve or quarter larger ones. Spread in single layer in baking dish or cookie sheet. Toss with EVOO, salt, pepper and rosemary. Roast in oven with lamb for the last 45 mins of cooking.

Easter Egg Bread (Sorry, I'm not posting the recipe for this b/c it's just too long for today. But enjoy the pic)

This is before baking. I didn't get a picture after before it was eaten!

Fresh Strawberry Pie (Inspiration for the filling came from Short Stop and the crust from Martha Stewart)
Crust:
4 Tbs unsalted butter at room temp
3 Tbs sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

With fork, combine butter and sugar in med bowl. Add in yolk and blend well. Add flour and salt and continue mashing with fork until mixture resembles dry crumbs. Pour into 9" pie pan and press in with clean hands. Press evenly along bottom and up sides of pan. Prick with fork all over. Place in freezer for 20 mins, then bake at 375F for about 10-15 mins or until lightly browned.

Melt chocolate chips in microwave at 60% power for about one minute, stirring often, until beginning to melt. Remove from microwave and stir until thoroughly melted. Brush over bottom and sides of crust. Besides being super yummy, the chocolate with prevent the crust from getting soggy!

Filling:
about 2 1/2 lbs fresh strawberries

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch
juice of 1/2 lemon

Remove green tops from strawberries. Arrange as many will fit into your pie crust, points up, and set aside. Chop the remaining strawberries finely. Place in sauce pan and add sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over med low heat, stirring constantly. Reduce to simmer and mash w/potato masher until thickened, while continuing to stir. Cool to room temp. Pour on top of whole strawberries in pie crust, smoothing around all the strawberries evenly. Cover and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Top with freshly whipped cream and serve.

Week 2

Here's the meal plan for the week of January 9th:

Slow Cooker Cabbage and Pork Stew (adapted from Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook), 6-8 servings

1 lb boneless pork (the original recipe called for country style ribs, but I'm just using chops)
4 med carrots, cut into 1/4" slices (2 cups)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 med potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (I'm using 2 red potatoes and not peeling)
1 med onion, chopped
4 cups chopped cabbage (about 1 med head)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 cups water
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained

Mix all ingredients in large slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until pork and veggies are tender.


Super-Fast Spinach, Pesto and Cheese Lasagna, 8 servings

3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 7-ounce package prepared pesto

4 cups bottled chunky pasta sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8-ounce package

2 cups grated Fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend ricotta and Parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl.

Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce.

Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake lasagna until heated through, sauce bubbles, and cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes for easier slicing and serving.


Slow Cooker Pho

We tried Pho at a Vietnamese restaurant once and did not care for it (likely because we tried it with authentic cow intestines or something). I'm going to give it a shot at home though, using this recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. I'll probably serve mine w/cilantro, shredded cabbage, green chili rings, and lime wedges, since I'm using those ingredients for some of the other recipes this week. Traditionally I believe you should do bean sprouts, but I hate buying a whole bag of bean sprouts and then not using it all. Next time I will plan better and do a second meal that requires them :)


Stir Fried Pumpkin with Lamb (this comes from The Pumpkin Cookbook) 4-6 servings

2 garlic cloves
1/4" piece fresh ginger
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1 Tbs grated lemon zest
3 Tbs lemon juice
1/2" piece green chili, seeded
1 lb lamb from leg, cut into thin strips

Process above ingredients except lamb to make a paste (in food processor or w/large mortar and pestle). Rub paste on lamb, cover and refrigerate 4-6 hrs.

2-3 Tbs EVOO
1 3/4 lb pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4" thick cubes
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2" piece green chili, seeded
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbs chopped cilantro
S & P

Stir fry pumpkin, coriander seeds, and green chili in EVOO until browned. Add a little vegetable stock, cover and cook on low about 2 mins.

Heat a wok and add EVOO. Add lamb with marinade and stir fry over high heat 4-5 mins until browned. Add pumpkin mixture and stir fry until heated through, adding more stock if necessary. Stir in the cilantro, add S&P to taste.


Fajitas, about 4 servings, but you can easily add more chicken and peppers

Combine:
1 clove minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs lime juice (fresh is best)
1 1/2 lbs sliced chicken

marinate in fridge a couple hours

Saute chicken with sliced bell peppers and onions and serve with warm tortillas, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro and salsa or pico de gallo.