ARE YOU READY FOR SPRING?

Officially spring has sprung, but until now nothing happened: it's still cold and rainy, and even if we have a sunny day, we always end up having rain at night. But don't let these details stop you from getting ready for spring. I didn't. I already invited friends to come celebrate Easter Sunday with us. This year it coincides with our traditional celebration of Sham El Nessim, that comes on Easter Monday.

I haven't finalized the guest list yet, so the menu will also be amended accordingly. It will probably change only in terms of quantities, but the items will be the same. I thought of serving a roast, chicken cacciatore, smoked salmon, smoked herrings, white fish salad, taramo salata, boussara for my vegetarian guests, and an assortment of salads and vegetables. That was last week. I started my shopping early to make sure that I have all the ingredients I need. Meat, chicken and fish can be kept in the freezer or refrigerator until I need them, so I started by visiting the butcher. I had first thought of buying a whole beef tenderloin, but at the butcher's I found this beautiful veal shoulder cut that made me change my mind. I also found quail, so I got two packages, just in case I would change my mind about the chicken dish. I had already bought chicken breasts and thighs, so no problem if I wanted to cook a chicken dish after all. With the list of guests finalized, the final menu came as follows, from left to right: 

Boussara, herrings, white fish salad, veal shoulder with twice cooked potatoes, roasted quail, freekeh, shrimp and beans salad, red couscous salad with green beans, beets and corn, smoked salmon, carrot salad and cauliflower salad. For dessert I just prepared a bowl of mixed berries, knowing that guests will bring other desserts.

                                         

Most of the dishes are already in previous blogs, the new recipes are very easy and are all to taste. You can adjust the quantity according to the number of guests or people you are serving.

VEAL SHOULDER WITH TWICE COOKED POTATOES

                                                    

I chose two cuts of veal shoulder totaling about 9 pounds. I thought that was enough for 20 guests. It was, and I was happy to give some to take home. You can use the same concept to make a smaller piece, with or without the bone. You'll need:

9 lb of veal shoulder, fat removed

1 onion plus 7 to 9 garlic cloves very finely chopped in the food processor

4 to 6 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste, or use Adobo as I did

Rinse and pat dry the meat. Put it in a large oven proof pan, rub it with the onion/garlic mixture and salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature. About three hours before the guests arrive, preheat the oven at 375 degrees, then put the meat pan in, covered. Let it cook undisturbed for an hour, then remove the cover, continue cooking for 30 minutes, then turn the meat to the other side and let it cook for another 30 minutes, until you get a beautiful color. Remove the pan from the oven, cover the meat with foil and let it rest before you carve it. Remove the bay leaves and slice the meat, arrange on the serving platter with the potatoes.

EASY ROASTED QUAIL
                                            

This dish couldn't be easier. Cut the quail in half lengthwise, toss with onion/garlic mixture, salt, pepper, rosemary and a drop of lemon juice and oil. Let stand for about 30 minutes, then brown in a non stick skillet that can be used in the oven. Cook first on the skin side, for about 4 minutes, turn and brown on the other side. Add some stock, or even water. Bring to a boil, then put in the oven until the liquid is all absorbed and the birds well browned. To serve arrange on a platter with the freekeh in the center. I was going to do that, but my vegetarian friend insisted that I serve it separately, so I did, in the first available platter. It was a bit crowded, but was delicious nonetheless.

RED COUSCOUS SALAD WITH BEETS, GREEN BEANS AND CORN

                          
                                                

This is a very satisfying salad that you can serve on many occasions. It's colorful, full of vitamins, and with a little effort can be a beautiful centerpiece for your table. The main idea here is to cook the couscous in the beets liquid. So, measure the liquid from a 14.5 oz can of beets to use it to cook the couscous. I used 3 cans of beets to get 2 cups of liquid to make 2 cups of couscous. Don't add butter or salt to the liquid, you'll season the salad later. Bring the liquid to a boil, add the grains, cover and remove from heat. Fluff with a fork and the couscous is done. Make a very light vinaigrette with oil, lemon juice and salt all to taste and toss it with the couscous. Blanch the green beans in boiling water, I used 2 bags of cut beans each of 1 lb. Drain and transfer them to a bowl. Chop the beets from the cans and add them to the green beans. Make it a 1/3 beets to 2/3 beans. Use the same vinaigrette as the couscous to season the mixture. Leave some vinaigrette for the corn. I used two 14.5 oz cans of corn, drained, mixed them with chopped parsley and cilantro and tossed with the vinaigrette. Arrange some mixed greens on a large serving platter, transfer the couscous in a mound in the middle, spoon the beans around it, followed by the corn. You can also add some chopped feta to the corn. You'll have a colorful healthy dish that everyone will love.

FREEKEH

I have already posted this dish before under its Egyptian-Arabic name, Freek. It's usually sold under the label "bulgur", but try to get the biggest cut of the grain. Today I added something extra: instead of just using onions in the pan, I chopped some carrots and celery too, all almost liquefied. Cook them in a tbsp of oil, then add the freekeh. Stir for a couple of minutes then add stock, or water, to barely cover the grains. Add salt and let cook covered until all the liquid is absorbed. Uncover, stir and continue cooking on very low heat until tender. You may need to add some more liquid depending on the grains you have.

SHRIMP AND BEANS SALAD

                                                    

This is the easiest dish you can make to please a crowd. Just chop a small red onion, a couple of celery stalks, transfer them to a big bowl. Open a can of chick peas, black beans, corn and cannellini, rinse and drain. Add them to the bowl. Add cooked shrimp, and toss. Make a simple vinaigrette with oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cumin, and if you like a tsp of mustard. Toss and refrigerate for about 2 hours. When ready to serve, arrange some greens on a platter, add the salad and voila, a nutritious beautiful salad.

CARROT AND CAULIFLOWER SALADS

Another crowd pleaser. Just grate 4 to 5 carrots, transfer to a bowl. Make a vinaigrette with a tbsp or two of light mayo, salt, pepper, cumin and a dash of curry. Add some raisins and toss.
For the cauliflower, cook the florets in boiling salted water until crispy tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add chopped green olives with pimento, some raisins, and some of the red onion and celery that you used in the previous salad. Toss with the same vinaigrette as the carrots and serve. You can also sprinkle both salad with some roasted chopped nuts, walnuts or hazelnuts.