Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a great week so far! With Easter right around the corner I wanted to share a menu guide that I created. I have some appetizers, sides and a dessert. For Easter, typically ham, lamb or prime rib is served. The hard part is what sides to serve with those main courses. I have plenty of ideas to help you out!
Arugula Prosciutto and Balsamic Flatbread
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 flatbread, large pre-baked
3-4 slices prosciutto
1/2 cup arugula
2 tablespoons shaved parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic glaze
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
Salt & pepper
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large frying pan, sauté garlic and shallot in oil and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes. Once shallot and garlic are cooked take off heat and set aside. Take your flatbread and brush olive oil all over it. Make sure the whole flatbread is coated with olive oil. Evenly spread the cooked shallot and garlic onto flatbread. Place flatbread in oven and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or util flatbread is a golden color. After flatbread is cooked take it out of the oven. Place arugula on top, followed by prosciutto (I tore the prosciutto into long strips) and sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese. Lastly, drizzle top of flatbread with balsamic glaze. Enjoy!
Panzanella with Roasted Tomatoes and Olives
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
6 ounces country-style bread torn into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Salt
Pepper
1 ounce pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, finely grated, (1/2 cup), plus more to serve
1/2 small red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
4 cups lightly packed arugula or chopped romaine or spring mix
1 cup lightly packed fresh flat leaf parsley or basil or mint torn
Directions
Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. In a large bowl, toss together the bread, 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Distribute in an even layer on a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet; reserve the bowl. Bake until the bread is golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven; sprinkle the bread with the cheese and toss to combine. Continue to bake until the cheese starts to melt, about another 1 minute. Transfer the bread to a large plate; reserve the baking sheet. Turn the oven to broil.
On the same baking sheet, toss together the tomatoes, olives and 1 tablespoon oil. Distribute in an even layer and broil until the tomatoes have burst and are charred in spots, 7 to 8 minutes, shaking the baking sheet halfway through. Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in the reserved bowl, stir together the onion, vinegar, the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Add the warm tomato-olive mixture and the bread to the bowl, then toss. Let stand for about 5 minutes, tossing a few times. Add the arugula and parsley, then toss gently. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with additional cheese.
Lemon and Green Pea Risotto
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 quart low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed and patted dry (you can use fresh peas if you can find them)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Finely chopped basil, parsley or mint to serve
Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium, bring the broth and 2 cups water, covered, to a simmer; reduce to low to keep warm.
In a large saucepan over medium, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are translucent at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of the hot broth mixture and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring often and briskly, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer.
Cook, adding ¼ cup of the broth at a time, until the rice is al dente and loose but not soupy, another 8 to 10 minutes. You may not need all of the broth. Off heat, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the peas, lemon zest and juice, and Parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with parsley and additional Parmesan.
Straw and Hay
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 package of fresh egg and spinach fettuccine ( I used Rana green and yellow pasta)
1 tablespoon butter
Pepper
1 small package of prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup fresh peas (If you can’t find fresh peas frozen works too, but thaw them)
1 cup heavy cream
Directions
Cook pasta according to package and set aside. In a sauté pan over medium heat add butter. Once butter has melted, add onion and sauté until softened for about 1 minute. Add peas to the pan and stir. Add the prosciutto in and stir for about 1-2 minutes. Pour the cream in and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sauce starts to get a little thick. Season with pepper and remove pan from heat. Add pasta to pan with the sauce and toss . Add parmesan cheese and more pepper. Serve in your favorite pasta bowl and enjoy!
Spring Quinoa Salad
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
2 small Persian cucumbers, sliced
2 small radishes, sliced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Lemon Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Salt
Pepper
Directions
Combine all the ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette in a small bowl. Whisk all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Set salad dressing aside. In a large mixing bowl, add in quinoa, cucumbers, radishes, and feta cheese. Mix all the salad ingredients together until everything is combined. Pour lemon vinaigrette over salad and toss. Garnish salad with fresh dill and serve.
Easter Oreo Pretzel Bark
Serves: 12
Ingredients
2 cups semi sweet milk chocolate chips, melted
10-12 Oreos, crushed into small pieces
1 cup pretzels, crushed up into broken pieces
1/2 cup M&Ms
1/2 cup mini Cadbury eggs
Directions
Place a large piece of wax paper on a baking sheet. Place pretzels and Oreos on wax paper. Spread pretzels and Oreos flat on the baking sheet. In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips. Make sure chocolate chips are completely melted. After you take the bowl out of the microwave give it a good stir. Pour chocolate over pretzel and Oreo mixture. Smooth chocolate with a rubber spatula. Cover all the Oreo and pretzel pieces. Sprinkle M&Ms and Cadbury eggs over chocolate. Place baking sheet in refrigerator for about an hour until bark hardens. If you make this ahead of time you can also refrigerate bark overnight. After bark is completely hardened, go ahead and cut or break into chunks. Enjoy!
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
Servings: 12
Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsp for sprinkling the top
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest from 3 lemons
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
Powdered sugar for dusting, optional
Directions
Pre heat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9″ springform pan by greasing the bottom and the sides well, and lining the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Wrap the outside with foil to prevent leaks.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, eggs, and sugar.
Add the vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk briefly to combine.
Sift together the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Alternating with the milk, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in a couple of batches. Try not to over-mix at this stage, you just want to combine everything until no streaks of dry flour remain.
Pour the batter into the springform pan. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of granulated sugar evenly over the top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes. The cake should be risen and starting to turn a bit golden brown on the top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then gently remove the cake from the springform pan and allow to cool completely on a baking rack.
When cool, dust the top with powdered sugar, if desired.
In the Kitchen with Mare 