It’s suddenly March and thoughts are quickly turning away from winter to spring. There’s something about spring that makes your table linen look whiter and your crystal and silver shine brighter. So it is no wonder that springtime is most eagerly fêted with bright, light entrées at brunch, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Purim, Easter, Mother’s Day, a lazy Sunday and more.
Here are a couple of traditional and elegant recipes that will welcome spring to your home; all are extremely easy and delicious, and as your guests will tell you, very much worth the effort:
Roasted Lamb
Choose any of these great roasting cuts:
Leg (bone-in or boneless)
Sirloin roast
Boneless shoulder
Rib rack roast
Top round roast (boneless)
Crown roast
Leg shank
Herb mixture: choose from any of the following: lemon pepper, garlic, mustard, basil, thyme, paprika, curry, mint, oregano and rosemary.
Mint jelly (a family favorite)
Season lightly by rubbing a mixture of the herbs of your choice on the lamb before roasting, or cut several small slits at one-inch intervals and insert garlic slivers. Roast your lamb, uncovered in a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees Fahrenheit for medium. Serve with mint jelly if desired. Serving size depends on the size of the lamb roast.
Ham
Ingredients: Ham
Cloves
1 c. crushed pineapple (reserve juice)
1 c. brown sugar
Begin by soaking the ham in water for a few hours. Drain and refill the water several times to rinse excess salt from the ham. Place the ham on a board and as it drains score it and cut off excess fat (but not all of the fat). Stud the entire ham with cloves. Mix the pineapple and brown sugar, making a paste and spread all over the ham.
Place the ham on a grate in a large baking pan, uncovered. Bake in a slow oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, basting frequently with the reserved pineapple juice. Cook until a fork pierces the meat easily. (Caution: Do not over cook, ham should be moist and juicy. Remember, hams are already cooked in the smoking process.) Serving size depends on the size of your ham.
Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned beef with seasonings
Water to cover beef
1-2 onion, roughly chopped
1 medium head of green cabbage, cut into wedges
Small bag of red potatoes (with peel), scrubbed
Small bag of carrots, peeled
Salt
Pepper
Place corned beef along with its drippings and seasonings in a large, deep pot and cover completely with water. Add one of the chopped onions. Simmer until tender, allowing 45-50 minutes per pound.
About 20 minutes before the meat is done skim off excess fat, add cabbage and the remainder of the onion and boil uncovered about 20 minutes or until corned beef and cabbage is just done.
In separate pots, boil potatoes with their skins on and carrots in water until done.
Drain all ingredients. Place meat on platter; drain vegetables and arrange around the meat to serve. Season vegetables as desired, may pat with butter.
Baked Eggs
2 dozen eggs, beaten
1 ½ c. milk
¼ lb. butter, melted
½ tsp. salt
If desired, add: green pepper, chopped onion, fresh mushrooms, etc.
Mix all the ingredients together and place into a glass-baking dish. Place in the refrigerator overnight, if desired. When just about ready to serve, bake for 40 minutes in a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven. Stir gently once or twice while cooking.
Serve when eggs are set and vegetables have softened.