Easter has snuck up on me this year. What happened to winter? When did spring arrive? I think I completely missed February, and Easter seems “very early” this year. Once again, we will be hosting a large gathering after Easter service and I have decided to stick with a simple, but tried and true menu to feed my hungry crowd.
One of my favorite suggestions from food writer, Julia Reed, was to have a VD menu. Reed tells the story that her mother, Judy, developed something they referred to as her VD dinner. VD stands for “Visiting Dignitary” and the Reeds hosted many amazing people over the years. Mrs. Reed’s genius idea was to have a simple but delicious meal that she was always ready to serve in the event of a special guest.
We do not host many dignitaries at my house, but I have developed and used a trusted VD menu of my own. It is relatively simple and keeps me from being a stressed-out hostess. I have made it so many times that it is almost second nature and I know that I can get it done. No matter how often you entertain, I think everyone should have a standard VD dinner and embrace the simplicity of having people for dinner.
Lately, my VD menu consists of a slow roasted pork, grits, green beans, and homemade focaccia bread. Almost all can be made ahead with minimal prep. I have served this to countless people and prepared it for more dinner parties than I can count. I have never had a complaint and it has been met with rave reviews and often requests for to-go boxes. For Easter lunch this year, I decided to add a few additional side dishes, salads, and of course, Resurrection Rolls to complete our lunch menu.
Slow Roasted Pork Roast
7 lb. boneless pork shoulder roast (if you cannot find a boneless, then get one with a bone, but allow an additional couple of pounds)
1 large yellow onion, cut in slices
4 peeled carrots cut in sticks or about 12 baby carrots
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cup dry white wine or water
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
Combine salt and pepper in a small bowl and then rub mixture all over pork. Put in a large roasting pan and cover. Refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and uncover pork. Roast pork until it is tender but not falling apart, about 4 hours. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and wine. Continue to roast until vegetables are tender and roast can be pulled apart, about one hour more. At this point, the roast can be cooled, covered, and stored until needed.
When ready to serve, preheat oven temperature to 375. Using tongs, remove bone if needed, and separate meat into large chunks. Add more water or wine if needed. Roast until many of the edges are browned and roast is a little crunchy. Remove from oven.
Allow roast to rest uncovered for a few minutes, and then serve shredded meat over grits with the pan juices and veggies.
Baked Cheese Grits
This is an easy to make ahead casserole for cheese grits, however, feel free to make your grits on the stovetop according to the package directions if time allows.
2 cups grits (before cooking)
8 cups water
1 stick butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt
4 eggs
Cook grits in water according to package instructions. Add in remaining ingredients. Pour in a well-greased casserole dish and bake for 35-40 minutes until grits are fluffy and top is slightly browned.
Quick and Easy Asian Green Beans
1 tablespoon regular or low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 oz. fresh or frozen green beans, trimmed
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Combine soy sauce, honey, and one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and then add green beans and a little salt. Toss to coat beans and allow to cook turning occasionally until most sides are very brown and beans are tender, five to seven minutes. Reduce heat to low and toss in minced garlic. Stir constantly for about 20 seconds, then carefully add the soy sauce mixture being sure to scrape out all the honey. Stir for about 20 more seconds. Serve warm.
Focaccia Bread
Mix: 1 1/2 cup very warm water from the tap (no need to boil it), 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 package yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) in a measuring cup until foamy (i.e., proofed). In the bowl of a food processor, mix 4 cups bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and proofed yeast/water mixture. Process or pulse until a smooth ball forms.
Remove and allow dough to rise in an oiled bowl, covered for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down dough and begin to push and pull into a rectangle in a well-greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.
Cover and allow to rise again for about an hour. Once it has risen, sprinkle with fresh (or dried) rosemary, coarse kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Begin making indentions in the dough with your fingers. These will become the pools for the olive oil. Drizzle with olive oil and make sure some of the pools are filled with oil.
Bake in a preheated 475 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Watch very closely as ovens vary and it will cook quickly. Bread should be golden on top but moist with lots of air pockets.
Broccoli Salad
There are hundreds of variations of this salad, and all are delicious and easy to prepare. Feel free to add or omit various ingredients to suit your taste.
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
12 tablespoons sugar, more or less depending on your taste
1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 bunches broccoli, cut into small bite-size pieces
2 to 3 ounces of fresh bacon bits or ‘real bacon bits’
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup sunflower kernels
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Mix vinegar, sugar, and mayonnaise until thoroughly combined. Fold in remaining ingredients and allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Add salt and pepper, if desired, and serve cold.
Instagram Dressing
I saw this salad dressing on Instagram and it was labeled as “the best salad dressing you have ever tasted.” Like many claims on the internet, I am not sure if it is “the best” but it is a good, basic dressing. Simply toss dressing with mixed greens.
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce, less for me
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon honey or 1 teaspoon sugar
Using either a handheld immersion blender or a standard blender, blend all ingredients together until smooth. Pour over salad and season to taste.
Creamed Spinach
I normally think of creamed spinach or Spinach Madeline as a dish for the fall but something made me crave it for Easter. Using fresh baby spinach instead of the frozen, and adding the zest of one lemon, makes it seem a little more like a spring dish. The bottom line is that this is delicious anytime of the year.
2 10 ounce containers fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Zest of 1 lemon
Chop fresh spinach and remove stems, if needed. Cook in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds until wilted. Rinse the spinach under running cold water until cool. Drain in a colander and squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat until melted butter turns bubbly, about one to two minutes. Sauté onion and garlic until fragrant, about two minutes.
Add flour and stir well to combine. Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan. Stir constantly and turn the heat down to medium. Bring the mixture to a simmer until smooth and thickened, about four to five minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in spinach and lemon zest, and toss well to coat. Cook for one to two minutes until heated through. Serve warm with extra Parmesan on top, if desired.
Can be made several days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat slowly in oven or stovetop.
Beets with Goat Cheese
This recipe was inspired from a dish I tasted at the JXN Food and Wine Festival a few weeks ago. A chef served a roasted beet on top of a small dollop of whipped goat cheese potatoes and topped the beet with chimichurri sauce. It was fantastic. I love beets, but had never had that combination of flavors. A little internet research showed that beets with goat cheese is a popular combination. Hope you will try this simplified version.
1 can sliced pickled beets or whole, quartered
2 tablespoons oil
Coarse kosher salt to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
Fresh thyme or Chimichurri Sauce
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drain and rinse your beets. Pat dry with a paper towel. Toss beets and oil in a bowl to coat well. Arrange beets on a baking pan in a single layer.
Sprinkle beets generously with salt and cracked black pepper, to taste. Bake for 15 minutes.
Top beets with crumbled goat cheese, garnish with fresh thyme, or chimichurri sauce.
Chimichurri Sauce
Chimichurri is an Argentinian garlic and fresh herb mixture that is a great condiment most often served with grilled meat. You can make the sauce several hours ahead but try to serve it the same day. The parsley will lose its bright green color after one day but it will still taste amazing.
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch flat leaf or curly leaf parsley steamed and chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small carrot, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons cold water
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Put garlic and salt in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until garlic is finely chopped. Pulse the parsley and oregano until mixture is finely chopped. Pulse in remaining ingredients and add additional salt or vinegar to see your taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned and flavorful.
Resurrection Rolls
Part roll; part dessert; all delicious. One of my all-time favorite recipes to make with kids. I cannot count the number of times I have made these with my children’s classes or my pre-school class. They are easy and delicious. It is so fun to read the Easter Story as the rolls cook and see the children’s faces as they discover the “surprise” at the end.
1 container crescent roll dough
Melted butter
Large marshmallows
Brown sugar or cinnamon sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Give each child a crescent roll triangle and explain that this represents the burial cloths Jesus was wrapped in after his crucifixion.
Give each child a marshmallow. This will represent Jesus, pure, white as snow and sinless.
Allow the children to dip the marshmallow into the melted butter and then roll in the brown sugar or cinnamon. These represent the oils and spices that Jesus was anointed with after his death.
Get the children to wrap the marshmallow up in their crescent roll being sure to completely seal the marshmallow in the dough. This will represent the soldiers sealing the tomb.
Put each roll in a well-greased muffin tin and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. This will represent Jesus in the tomb.
Once rolls are lightly browned, remove and allow to cool for a few minutes.
The children can open their rolls and discover that the tomb is empty. (The marshmallow melts) Read Matthew 26-28. Happy Easter.
Next Easter, I am determined to prepare a lamb roast. I have an entire year to figure it out and just could not fit it in this year. Please feel free to send me your favorite way to prepare lamb, and I will get to work for next Easter.
Lisa can be contacted at LisaIreland2013@gmail.com.
