Easter traditions are many and varied. Traditional Easter food also varies from place to place. Two items that are consistently on the Easter menu are eggs and lamb. Here are two recipes that will really make your holiday dinner special. These recipes come to us from Monika Sudakov, professional chef and innkeeper at the Chestnut Street Inn in Sheffield, IL.
Hungarian Style Deviled Eggs (Casino Eggs)
Yields 12 appetizer portions
12 eggs
2 Tbl Unsalted Butter
1 Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Pinch Freshly Grated Nutmeg
2 tsps Herbes de Provence
¼ Cup Dry Sherry or Dry Vermouth
16 oz Sliced Mushrooms
2 Shallots, Sliced
2-3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
8 Tbls Hellman’s Mayonnaise
4 Tbls Daisy Sour Cream
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tsp Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Anchovy Paste
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
Pinch of Hungarian Hot Paprika
Pinch of chopped Italian Parsley
Place eggs in plenty of cold salted water. Bring to a boil and cook 10 mins. Remove from heat and rinse under cold water. Let cool and peel. Cut eggs in half and pop yolks out into a bowl. Add oil and butter to a medium sauté pan over med high heat until butter is melted and bubbling. Add shallots and sauté for a couple of minutes until they begin to caramelize. Add garlic and sauté for one minute or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and herbes de provence. Deglaze the pan with sherry or vermouth and cook on high until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms begin to caramelize. Cool completely. Combine mushrooms with 2 Tbls mayo and 1 Tbl sour cream. Adjust seasoning to taste. Coat the bottom of serving dish with mushroom mixture. Combine egg yolks with 2 Tbls mayo, 1 Tbl mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, salt & pepper. Fill each egg half with yolk filling and place filling side down on the mushrooms. Combine 4 Tbls mayo with 2 Tbl sour cream, 1 Tbl sugar, Lemon Juice, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over the eggs, coating completely. Sprinkle with paprika and chopped parsley to garnish. Serve well chilled.
Roast Leg of Lamb
6-7 lb boneless leg of lamb
1 head garlic
3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbl Kosher Salt
2 tsps freshly ground pepper
2 tsps garlic powder
2 tsps Hungarian paprika
2 tsps Herbes de Provence
Clean the garlic cloves, leaving them whole. Using a small paring knife, make incisions all over the leg of lamb and insert one clove of garlic into each incision. Place lamb on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Using your hands, rub oil all over lamb. Season the lamb liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and herbes de provence. Let the lamb marinate in rub for at least 8 hours or over night. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove lamb from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to roasting. Roast for approx. one hour or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 120 degrees. Remove from the oven and cover tightly with foil. Allow to rest for 20 mins before carving. The carry over cooking time will continue cooking the roast to approx. medium rare. Serve with pan juices that have been strained.
