Crunchy Garden Vegetable Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
6 hard-cooked eggs – peeled
3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Cut eggs lengthwise in half. Slip out egg yolks; mash with fork. Stir in
remaining ingredients. Fill egg whites with egg yolk mixture, heaping slightly.
Easter Main Dish
Cajun Easter Ham
Ingredients:
1 (6 to 7 pound) boneless ham
2 whole yams
2 whole Bartlett pears
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup garlic, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup fig preserves
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of file’ (optional)
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
6 Bartlett pears, halved
Cajun Glaze (recipe below)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Poach yams and pears in hot water until tender
but not overcooked. Drain and chop into 1-inch cubes. Set aside. In a
heavy-bottom saut? pan melt butter over medium- high heat. Add onions, celery,
bell peppers and garlic. Saute until vegetables are wilted, approximately 3 to 5
minutes. Add yams, pears, raisins and figs and continue to saut? until mixture
is well blended and resembles a chutney or stuffing. Season with pinch of
cinnamon, nutmeg and file’. Remove and allow to cool. Slice ham horizontally
across the middle and fill the center of ham with stuffing mixture about
3/4-inch. Top with upper section of ham and secure in place with skewers.
Garnish top of ham with pear halves and glaze ham with Cajun glaze. Bake 20-30
minutes.
Serves 6 to 8.
Cajun Glaze:
1 cup cane syrup
1 cup Creole mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
? teaspoon ground file’ or sassafras leaves
In a stainless steel mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Blend well and brush
over ham prior to baking.
Easter Side Dish
Green Beans in Apricot Sauce
Ingredients:
1 (11-1/2 ounce) can of pineapple juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped, dried apricots
1 1/2 lbs. slender green beans, trimmed
4 Tbs. chopped pistachios
1 1/2 ounces feta cheese
Directions
Boil the juice in a medium saucepan until reduced to 2/3 cup, about 7 minutes.
Mix vinegar and apricots. Let stand until apricots soften, about 15 minutes.
Puree mixture in a blender, season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool.
(This can be done a day or two ahead.) Cook green beans in a large pot of
boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, cool in ice
water and drain again. Pat beans dry with paper towels. ( This can also be done
a day ahead, cover and refrigerate.)
Place beans in a large bowl and toss with the sauce to coat. Pile in the middle
of a patter and top with pistachios and crumbled feta cheese. Pass any leftover
sauce on the side.
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