Easter menu for the adventurous

by Molly Gingell

Spring is in the air, and Easter Sunday is almost here. Easter is the perfect day for a wonderful family get-together. It's a time to enjoy each others' company and be thankful for life's many blessings.

I have a traditional yet different Easter menu to share with you. Maybe you are just adventurous enough to try it!!

My Easter menu:

Rosemary Garlic Pork Roast Finished With Asiago Cheese

Spring Vegetables With Herbs, Shallots and Lemon

Crispy Roasted Red Potatoes

Honey-Glazed Bunny Rolls

I actually would add a salad and dessert to this menu, but I don't want to take up the whole Nevada Appeal edition! Also, think about all of the chocolate available after the Easter egg hunts.

Rosemary Garlic

Pork Roast

(Serves 6)

Bacon slices chopped

1Ú2 sweet onion julienned

8 rib pork roast (about 41Ú2 pounds)

2 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1Ú4 cup small leaf clusters from fresh rosemary sprigs

1Ú4 cup water

1 T. chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 T. freshly grated asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large roasting pan, put julienned onion and sprinkle with bacon.

Trim fat on pork roast to 1Ú4 inch. With a paring knife, make shallow slits in fat about 1 inch apart; in each slice, insert a garlic slice and rosemary leaf cluster. Season roast with kosher salt and freshly ground paper and arrange, fat side up on onions and bacon. Roast for one hour and 20 minutes, or until pork registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. Transfer to a platter and let stand for 15 minutes.

Pour off fat from pan. Add water to pan with onions and cook over high heat, stirring to loosen browned bits, until liquid is mostly evaporated. Toss onions and bacon with parsley.

Arrange on platter with pork and garnish with rosemary and parsley sprigs.

Spring Vegetables with Herbs, Shallots and Lemon

(Serves 6)

2 T. olive oil

1 T. unsalted butter

4 shallots, cut crosswise into thin slices, bunched, trimmed and cut

1 pound asparagus, bunched, trimmed and cut into diagonal pieces

1Ú2 pound carrots, peeled and blanched

1Ú2 pound green beans, topped, tailed and blanched

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat 1 T. oil and 1Ú2 T. butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Saute shallots, stirring until tender, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer shallots to a bowl. To the fat remaining in skillet, add remaining oil and butter. Then saute asparagus, carrots and green beans until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, shallots and salt and pepper to taste; saute until heated through.

Crispy Roasted

Potatoes

(Serves 2 as a side dish)

1 pound small red potatoes

1 T. olive oil

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon parsley flakes

Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Cut potatoes in half. In a shallow baking pan, toss potatoes with oil, herbs and salt and pepper.

Roast potatoes in oven, stirring occasionally, with pork roast for about 40 minutes, or until golden and done.

Honey-glazed Bunny Rolls

(12 rolls)

1 cup milk

1Ú4 cup honey

1Ú4 ounce package active dry yeast

1Ú2 stick (1Ú4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

2 large egg yolks

4 cups bread flour

2 teaspoon salt

For glaze

2 T. honey

1Ú2 stick unsalted butter

2Ú3 cup confectioner's sugar

12 dried currants, halved

In a small saucepan, heat milk with honey over low heat, stirring, just until lukewarm; remove from heat. Stir in yeast and let stand until foaming, about 5 minutes. Add butter and yolks, whisking until combined well.

Transfer milk mixture to bowl of a standing electric mixer (or to a large bowl, if kneading by hand). Add flour and salt gradually to milk mixture, stirring until incorporated. With dough hook, knead dough until smooth, about 2 minutes. (Alternatively dough may be kneaded by hand on a lightly floured surface until smooth, 10 to 15 minutes.)

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn to coat with oil. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in bulk.

In a small saucepan, heat glaze ingredients over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Removed pan from heat and keep glaze warm and covered.

Grease baking sheets. Punch down dough and divide into 12 pieces. Form each piece into an egg shape and transfer pieces to prepared baking sheets. Form a bunny tail on each by holding scissors, points down, perpendicular to baking sheet and making a 1Ú2-inch long snip at the base of the wide end. Form two bunny ears on each piece by making a narrow 2-inch long snip on each side, starting near the wide end and cutting toward narrow. Form eyes on each piece by making holes in narrow end with a wooden pick and pressing currant half firmly into each hole with pick.

Brush half-warm glaze on rolls and let rise, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Heat remaining glaze over low heat just until warm and brush rolls. Bake rolls 20 minutes until golden. Cool on racks.

Serve rolls warm or at room temperature.

These rolls are so cute. What a great addition to this Easter meal. The pork roast and vegetables are easy; the rolls are more complex but worth the show. Any meal you choose to prepare for Easter dinner is special. Enjoy life and love Easter Sunday.

Molly Gingell is the owner of Molly's Gourmet Catering, takeout and cooking school at 220 W. John St. in Carson City.