Easter Dinner 2011

Well, it happens every four years or so, and so too in 2011: Orthodox Easter as celebrated by my Greek in-laws coincides with "regular Easter" as we call it.  Both are April 24, 2011.

Here is a look at what's cooking and what I'll be serving today:

• red Easter eggs - we play the game tsougrisma before dinner starts
• feta cheese
• olives
• bread
• Oven Roasted Tomatoes
• Greek Oven-Roasted Potatoes
• Marinated Grilled Boneless Leg of Lamb
• grilled mushroom caps
• green beans
• cherry pie
• homemade greek yogurt
• strawberry shortcake
• coffee
• tea
• ouzo

Christos Anesti! Happy Easter to everyone!

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Oven Roasted Tomatoes

I love this recipe because a) it can help get rid of excess fresh tomatoes especially towards the end of the summer and b) the end result is versatile. By that I mean you can serve it as a side dish, or mash up the cooked tomatoes and serve it as an appetizer spread with a good rustic bread and a glass of red wine. Also, I've pureed the cooked tomatoes as the base for soup.

INGREDIENTS

2 lb small to medium tomatoes - usually tomatoes on the vine
10 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Cut the tops off all the tomatoes and placed them in an ovenproof baking dish (not metal - glass or ceramic) that has been lightly sprayed or wiped with olive oil.

• Sprinkle tops of tomatoes with garlic, then salt and pepper.

• Next, drizzle olive oil over tops of tomatoes and then sprinkle with bread crumbs.

• Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately as side dish or cool and use for other purposes such as appetizer or soup base.

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Frittata

This recipe is my version of Mom's recipe for frittata which she enjoyed making for Sunday breakfast when we had a full house.  Those who remember this dish also remember all the goodies from Katz's bakery as well!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb sausage, crumbled - either breakfast or Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large russet baking potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 green or red pepper, chopped
2 cups shredded cheese - mozzarella, cheddar, romano
Additional ingredients (see below)
1/2 cup water
12 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

• Crack eggs into a large bowl, add 1/2 cup water and whisk until eggs are broken down, about 1 minute. Set aside.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large (12 inch) deep dish pizza pan or a 13x9x2 baking pan with spray cooking oil. Set aside.

• In frying pan on medium high heat, add olive oil, onions, peppers and sausage.

• Add potatoes and stir. Cook about 10 minutes over medium heat just until potatoes start to soften. Remove from heat and place in pizza pan or baking pan.

• Sprinkle cheese over cooked filling and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Pour egg mixture over contents of pan.

• Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a skewer or steak knife in frittata - there should be no liquid. Cook longer if required.

Additional ingredients: you can get very creative with this dish and instead of making it for breakfast, make a dinner frittata by using adding any of these ingredients in different combinations:

• black olives
• artichoke hearts
• roasted red peppers
• feta cheese
• ham
• tuna
• chicken (cooked)

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