A main course for Easter Dinner?

Question

I'll be cooking for about 4-6 people for Easter and would like to make a tasty but not time-consuming meal for them. (I don't mind the prep time, but I don't want to be in the kitchen all day; I'd like to visit.) I really don't care for ham and I think that lamb will be pretty hard and would not be liked by everyone. (Please, no recipes for these unless you think they are different or extra yummy.) What other main courses would you suggest. Please provide the recipe if you have it.

Answer 1

Crockpot Chutney Ham

INGREDIENTS:
3 lb. fully cooked boneless ham
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (6 oz.) jars mango chutney
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

PREPARATION:
Place ham in crockpot. Mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and pour over the ham. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours until thoroughly heated. 6-8 servings


Crockpot Glazed Carrots

INGREDIENTS:
2 lb. bag baby carrots
1-1/2 cups water
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

PREPARATION:
Combine carrots and water in a 3-4 quart crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain carrots and return to crockpot. Stir in honey, butter, salt and pepper and mix well. Cover and cook on low 30 minutes until glazed. 6-8 servings


Lemony Pasta Spring Vegetable Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 (1 lb.) package medium pasta shells
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 2" pieces
1 (16 oz.) package frozen baby peas
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (8 oz) container lemon yogurt
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

PREPARATION:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta shells and cook according to package directions, adding asparagus pieces during the last 4 minutes of cooking time.
Meanwhile, place frozen peas in a colander in the sink When pasta is tender and asparagus is crisp tender, drain into colander over peas. Drain well and add orange pepper.
In large bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon yogurt, lemon juice, milk, thyme, pepper, and salt and mix with wire whisk to blend. Add pasta mixture and stir gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 8-10


Fluffy Raspberry Dessert

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
10 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed
2 pasteurized egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, flour, and nuts until crumbly. Spread crumbs in 9x13" pan (do not press down). Bake, stirring twice during baking time, until crumbs are light golden brown, 10-15 minutes.Cool until you're able to handle the crumbs; reserve 1/2 cup. Press remaining crumbs into bottom of pan.
In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients except whipped cream. With electric mixer, beat this mixture for 15-20 minutes until stiff peaks form. The mixture will increase in volume, almost filling the bowl. Fold in whipped cream and spread on crumbs on pan. Top with remaining crumbs, cover, and freeze at least 8 hours before serving. Serves 12-15

Answer 2

Appetizer: Fruit And Cheese Tray
Salad: Spinach And Mushroom Salad
Entree: Grilled or Oven Roasted Wild Salmon With Lemon Herb Butter or Crab Stuffed Halibut
Starch: Roasted Red Potatoes
Vegetable: Fresh Asparagus Tossed in Butter
Suggested Wine: Chardonnay Or Sauvignon Blanc


Appetizer: French Bread With Pesto And Marinated Mozzarella
Salad: Baby Spring Greens With Sugared Walnuts And Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Entree: Roast Spring Chicken
Starch: Traditional Mashed Potatoes
Vegetable: Fresh, Sweet Baby Carrots
Suggested Wine: Chardonnay or White Zinfandel


Appetizer: Roasted Almonds (Purchase From Grocery Store) And Broiled Feta Cheese With Pita Bread
Salad: Avocado, Tomato and Romaine Salad
Entree: Linguine al Pesto
Vegetable: Roasted Vegetables
Suggested Wine: Merlot or Chardonnay

Here are a few ideas from http://www.real-restaurant-recipes.com/easter-recipes.html
Visit the site for all the recipes in detail

Many more ideas on the website: http://www.real-restaurant-recipes.com

Answer 3

Ham is traditional followed by leg of lamb. But some folks actually make a roast beef, or prime rib, while others cook a turkey! And, of course, some folks have traditions that include pasta, such as lasagne, or pork roast. Here are some thoughts:

Starters:
Deviled eggs
Beef broth with scallions and mushrooms

Main Course:
Pork roast, rubbed with 1 T kosher salt, 1 Tsp fresh ground pepper, and 2 T rubbed sage. Put in glass baking dish and pour a little wine in the bottom. Don't cover! Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Take out of pan and let rest. Pour more wine, or chicken broth, into the bottom of the baking pan and stir to get up the pieces of roast. Pour mixture into sauce pan and add chicken broth or wine, 1 Tsp dijon mustard and simmer to reduce.

Baked Potatoe Casserole: 10 Yukon gold potatoes cooked in chicken broth (peeled and cut into chunks), 1 container sour cream, 1 bunch scallions chopped, 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, 1 package cream cheese (optional). Blend the above (leave some chunks!) and put into a baking pan. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Fresh Asparagas with prosciutto: 1 lb. fresh asparagas, cleaned and fibrous ends removed, 10 slices prosciutto, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 tsp lemon zest, 3 T parmesan cheese, 1 tsp minced garlic, 3 T olive oil. Heat oil and saute garlic until golden. Add bread crumbs and toss to coat. Add cheese and lemon zest. Brown slightly and set aside. Place asparagas in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove. Put 3 -4 spears in "bundle" and wrap with prosciutto. Put bread crumb topping on prosciutto and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

The above dishes can be made ahead of time and placed in the fridge until you are ready to reheat. For dessert? Purchase a great pie!

Answer 4

This is easy to make, and seems very Easter like with the apricot nectar!! Very yummy!! Serve with new potatoes oven roasted with olive oil and fresh thyme along with steamed green beans (you can get fresh cut and cleaned green beans in the supermarket! All you have to do is steam them!!) or fresh steamed asparagus and butter.


Apricot Glazed Pork Roast

INGREDIENTS:
1 pork loin roast, about 4 to 5 pounds
salt and pepper
2 cups apricot nectar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

PREPARATION:
Score fat on roast in a diamond design. Rub salt and pepper over surface of the pork loin. Place roast, fat side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of roast, making sure it does not touch fat or bone.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Combine apricot nectar and remaining ingredients in a saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Reserve 1/2 cup apricot mixture for sauce. Baste roast with remaining apricot glaze mixture. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160°. Remove roast to a serving platter, reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. Set roast aside, and keep warm.

Combine reserved apricot misture and drippings in a medium saucepan; stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is thoroughly heated. Serve roast with sauce.
Yield: 8-10 servings.

Answer 5

If not ham or lamb, maybe lamb chops or stuffed pork chops, roast chicken w potatoes/onion/carrots, or roast beef, baked fish, trout almondine. Sides could be roasted asparagus with cherry tomatoes & feta cheese, or scalloped potatoes, green beans almondine, carrot souffle - or spanokopita (Greek cheese & spinach pie). Dessert could be Paula Dean's Oooey-gooey butter cake (Food Network), or something spring-like - strawberry shortcake. An appy can be devilled eggs, crudites & dip and wine or cocktails.

Answer 6

When I knew we were going to have company I started planning for their arrival early in the week and prepared a few dishes that could be in the freezer and then taken out and baked when needed. It sure saved my nerves.

I know you are looking for the main course so this is my suggestion that is wonderful and different. I know ham and lamb are traditional but I'm with you.

What I did one year was to purchase little Cornish hens.
They usually come 2 in a package. I cut them in half so they bake faster and easier to serve each person. So each of your guests would have 1/2 of a chicken.

Wash the birds and salt and pepper them. on the insides rub with garlic and ginger....let them bake according to directions then in the end....baste with duck sauce you get at the Asian market. It has bits of fruit like orange and apricot. It's very tasty and adds a nice punch to the Cornish hen taste.

A nice light rice pilaf would go very well with this. Almonds sliced dark or golden raisins, sauteed celery and onions and a little jar of pimentos...Cook the rice ahead if you like then stir fry the other ingredients then toss in the rice and add some chicken stock. Mushrooms can also be added.

a fruit platter would be very nice too for another plate...
strawberries, kiwi fruit, bananas sliced in orange juice to keep their color and adds great taste, grapes, green or red seedless.

a dark green veggie would balance the colors and tastes ...either green beans....easy to handle...or asparagus ....

think of balance of textures and colors....and ease to put it all together....you can assemble the fruit in the morning...

A basket of dinner rolls....

Beverage appetizer ....tomato juice cocktail in a stemmed glass sitting on a saucer with crackers and cheese...

oh my....I forgot the DEVILED EGGS...you gotta have them for EASTER..lol....
make them the night before....
mayonnaise
dab of mustard either french style or yellow mustard
little salt and pepper
a drop of Tabasco sauce
sweet pickle relish small amount for flavor
paprika for the tops
boil eggs then put in ice water, peel and cut in half now scoop out the centers mix the yolks with the above ingredients..then stuff in the whites....wrap and chill...

HAPPY EASTER
hugs from Mama Jazzy Geri

I keep thinking of something else....DESSERT..
Find a quick pie or cake recipe with coconut as one ingredients...it's always included in many Easter menus.
do this the night before too and set your table early...do as much as you can the day and night before your company arrives...bye again....

Answer 7

Curry Scallops:

20 min 5 min prep
2 servings

500 g scallops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, fineley diced
1 medium red capsicum, diced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 cup thickened cream
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon flour

1. Heat oil in a wok over medium temperature and sautee garlic, onion and capsicum a few minutes.
2. Add scallops, season with pepper and sprinkle curry powder over the top, mix well and cook around one minute stirring to cover scallops with the curry powder.
3. Reduce temperature a little, add cream, milk and wine and cook gently around 5 minutes.
4. Add flour and cook around 5 minutes more or until thickened.

Answer 8

why not try something different and do nothing but appetizers?!!? you could prepare chicken wings, deviled eggs, a meat / cheese tray w/ crackers, chips & dip, relishes (pickles, olives, carrots, celery), smokies, a hot cheese / salsa dip etc. it would be very easy and your guests could munch and socialize all the while. you could pick up some pretty easter paper plates and napkins also - which would help with the clean up! as for dessert, an easy cheesecake or fresh fruit would be nice. by doing the appetizers, you would create a very carefree atmosphere with lots of socializing and forego the stuffy sit down meal with hours of preparation!

Answer 9

Well, Lamb is great and traditonal with mint jelly.But lamb is so expenive, now days. Ham is traditional, too, but not everyone likes ham, and I got a bit tired of it, when my cat was still alive. He loved ham, as still does my dog. I'll probably have rotisery chicken and mashed potatoes.

Answer 10

Traditionally you should always have a sweet yeast bread, sweet cottage cheese dish (pascha), wine, cheese, meat, butter, salt, and red eggs. All of these have a lot of significance not only as good food, but as Christian symbols.

For example the red eggs have a great meaning in relation to Christ’s resurrection. The red colouring stands for the blood that was shed for us on the Cross. The outer casing of the shell represents the tomb that Christ was interred into after being taken down from the cross. When we crack the eggs with each other to reveal the insides, we are in effect recreating the event of Christ rising from the tomb, just as a newborn chick is released from the confines of the eggshell when it receives its new life. This is the other important meaning; new Life. Just as a chick has new life when it escapes from the egg, so too we have new life through Christ’s release from the tomb. Prior to Christ’s resurrection, death, sin, and the Old Covenant law restricted humanity. Now that Christ is risen, death and Hades (the abode of the dead before Christ’s resurrection) and even the Old Covenant law no longer have us in their grip. Cracking the eggs with one another not only confesses the truth of Christ’s resurrection, the act is also a confession of our belief that death is defeated. And that we too have risen with Christ from the confines of death and the law that we too will physically rise when Christ returns again in glory. It also shows our release from sin by living the new life in Christ, by living according to His teachings- His example- if we choose to do so.

Answer 11

I suggest a nice roast beef and maybe a pasta or potato salad which you could make ahead of time. Add a salad or some fruit slices, and you have a lovely fair-weather meal.