Food

Archives | Arts & Entertainment | Audio/Video | Business | Classifieds | Columns | Food | Forums | Health & Fitness | News | Obits | Opinions | People | Politics | Science/Technology | Search | Sports | Subscribe | Travel | Weather | RESTAURANT GUIDE |

Wednesday, April 11, 2001

Ham it up for Easter

Supplement this lean meat with exotic and easy side dishes

By Leanne Libby
Caller-Times

Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times

Betty Hanes, owner of Honey Bee Hams of Corpus Christi, glazes a ham at her shop. With a ready-to-serve ham and a few simple side dishes, Easter dinner is one of the least demanding holiday meals.

Betty Haynes fires up a propane torch attached to a gas tank - the kind of contraption that most people use to power their barbecue grills. While she waves the torch across a ham, she sprinkles the surface with cloves, cinnamon, sugar and other spices that make Honey Bee Hams of Corpus Christi's signature glaze.
   "I even found this sugar-free honey so I can glaze hams for my diabetic customers," Haynes said, lifting a plastic bottle of golden goo.
   For many families, Easter Sunday means a ham dinner. For Haynes, it means her third busiest business season.
   "Thanksgiving is the busiest, and Christmas...you don't even want to be in here around Christmas. I'll have three torches going to glaze hams non-stop."
   A ham is a ham
   Like any food trend, taste in hams vary from year to year.
   "The year before last, everybody wanted a boneless ham," Haynes said. "Last year, they wanted bone-in. This year, it's about fifty-fifty. Then, there are people who think the butt is better than the shank, but they're about equal."
   With a ready-to-serve ham and a few simple side dishes, Easter dinner is one of the least demanding holiday meals. Teresa Ryan loves to cook, but said the ease of Easter cooking lets her enjoy the celebrations.
   We usually go to church and the gather with our family at home," Ryan, 40, said. "We'll get the meal together and that's when the children can play outside and hunt for eggs."
   Ryan whips up one of her favorite salad recipes the night before, so all she has to do is serve her family and guests. She said she's been making the mixed salad, a recipe she got from her mother-in-law, for 12 years. Making the meal ahead of time-and better yet, using no-cook recipes- takes away the pressure of trying to coordinate holiday gatherings and cooking times.
   "Even if you get home late, it doesn't matter with this meal," she said. "You come back from church and it's there. And since it's Spring, the ham and the salad make a meal that's not so heavy."
   Lorraine's Simple Salad
   1 head fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped
   1 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned and chopped
   sugar and salt to taste
   2 cups diced celery
   6 hardboiled eggs, sliced
   2 packages frozen La Seur peas
   1 large or 2 medium purple onions, diced
   1 cup diced green pepper
   8 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
   1 package grated Swiss cheese
   2 cups mayonnaise
   paprika to taste
   Layer 1 inch spinach at the bottom of a glass trifle dish or large glass bowl. Using half the lettuce, add a second, 1-inch layer. Sprinkle with sugar and salt. Add separate layers of celery and eggs. Layer the remaining lettuce and sprinkle again with sugar and salt. Add separate layers of peas (still frozen), onion, green pepper, bacon and cheese. Cover to top with no more than 2 cups mayonnaise (you may have to compress the salad) and sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate overnight.
   Carroty Couscous
   Quick-cooking couscous "cooks" in a flash. Just boil water, add couscous, cover and let sit about five minutes. It couldn't be easier. To save time and cleaning, cook the carrots in the same pan you cook the couscous.
   3 cups water
   2 small carrots, pared, cut into 1/8-inch dice
   3 teaspoons butter
   ½ teaspoon salt
   1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
   3/8 cup quick-cooking couscous
   4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
   Pinch fresh-ground black pepper
   Place 2 cups water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Add carrots, cover, simmer 2 to 4 minutes or until firm tender. Drain carrots; set aside. Heat 1 cup water, butter, salt and cinnamon in same pan over medium-high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium, stir in couscous, cover, and immediately remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in carrots, parsley and pepper. Toss lightly with a fork to fluff. Makes 4 servings.
   Per serving: 157 calories, 18 percent calories from fat, 4 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total fiber, 3 grams total fat, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 334 milligrams sodium.
   Roasted Asparagus With Gremolata
   Gremolata, a garnish made of fine-minced parsley, fresh lemon peel and garlic, adds a refreshing sparkle to oven-roasted asparagus. Just be sure not to grate down to the "white" or pith of the lemon, which is bitter. You only want to use the bright yellow peel. This recipe is great served at room temperature, too.
   ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
   1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel
   2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
   2 pounds (2 bunches) fresh asparagus spears, trimmed and rinsed
   2 tablespoons vegetable oil
   2 teaspoons salt
   Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, combine parsley, lemon peel and garlic. Set aside. Dry asparagus on paper towels. Coat a 12-by-16-inch baking pan with the oil. Place asparagus in the pan and tilt the pan to roll the asparagus around until they'recoated with the oil. Don't crowd the pan. If you don't have a large-enough pan, use two smaller ones. Roast, shaking the pan occasionally so the asparagus brown evenly, 8 to 10 minutes or until firm tender. Remove from oven and sprinkle with garlic mixture and salt. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
   Per serving: 56 calories, 69 percent calories from fat, 2 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total fiber, 4 grams total fat, no cholesterol, 785 milligrams sodium.
   Sliced Tomatoes With Three-Herb Dressing
   This salad takes only 15 minutes to prepare, including the dressing. For extra color, use a combination of red and yellow tomatoes.
   Three-Herb Dressing:
   2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
   2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
   ½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
   ½ cup olive oil
   3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
   ¼ teaspoon sugar
   1 small clove garlic, finely minced
   ½ teaspoon salt
   ¼ teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
   Sliced Tomato Salad:
   1 ½ cups large basil leaves plus several sprigs for garnish
   2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
   ¼ cup fine-chopped red onions
   Coarse salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
   To make dressing: Place basil, parsley, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the metal blade or a blender. Process or blend 30 to 60 seconds or until emulsified. Pour into a non-reactive bowl or measuring cup and set aside at room temperature.
   To make salad: Line a large serving platter with the basil leaves. Arrange tomato slices over the basil. Sprinkle with red onions. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the tomatoes. Garnish salad with basil sprigs and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
   Per serving: 138 calories, 82 percent calories from fat, 1 gram protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total fiber, 13 grams total fat, no cholesterol, 157 milligrams sodium.
   Dill Popovers
   Your guests will be delighted when they see a basket filled with fresh-baked popovers on your Easter table. Especially when they are aromatic with fresh dill. The batter goes together in less than five minutes.
   1 tablespoon butter, melted
   1 cup milk
   2 large eggs
   1 cup all-purpose flour
   3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
   ¼ teaspoon salt
   Dash cayenne pepper
   2 tablespoons vegetable oil
   Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a medium mixing bowl. Add milk, eggs, flour, dill, salt and cayenne. Whisk until smooth. Coat 8 muffin cups with the 2 tablespoons oil. Pour 3 tablespoons batter into each prepared muffin cup. Bake 35 minutes until well-puffed and golden brown. Makes 8 popovers.
   Per popover: 141 calories, 47percent calories from fat, 4 grams protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, .59 gram total fiber, 7 grams total fat, 61 milligrams cholesterol, 121 milligrams sodium.
   Peach Ice Cream Bombe
   A bombe is a frozen dessert usually consisting of layers of ice cream or sherbet. This short-cut version eliminates the time-consuming layering, but it's still spectacular. Don't worry about finding fresh peaches for this refreshing dessert because frozen ones work fine. You don't even need a fancy mold. Just use a 10-cup stainless steel mixing bowl. After unmolding, surround the bombe with fresh fruit. Serve with a plate of your favorite cookies from your local bakery.
   1 (1-pound) package frozen sliced peaches, defrosted, chopped into medium dice
   ½ cup peach-flavored brandy
   ½ gallon vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
   Mix peaches and brandy in a medium bowl; let macerate 30 minutes. Line a 10-cup mixing bowl or bombe mold with plastic wrap, letting the plastic hang over the side.
   In a large bowl, gently mix the ice cream with the peaches until well-blended. Pack the mold with the ice cream mixture. Gently bang the mold on the counter to eliminate any air pockets. Smooth the top and cover with plastic. Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight.
   About 15 minutes before serving, remove the mold from the freezer. Peel the plastic from the top and invert the mold onto a large serving platter. Dampen a kitchen towel with very hot water and place over the bottom of the bowl for a few seconds. Gently pull on the plastic wrap until the bombe drops onto the platter. Remove the bowl and the plastic. Let soften slightly before cutting into wedges. For easier cutting, dip a sharp knife in hot water. Makes 8 servings.
   Per serving: 355 calories, 37 percent calories from fat, 5 grams protein, 45 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total fiber, 15 grams total fat, 58 milligrams cholesterol, 109 milligrams sodium.
  
  
  

---

Contact Leanne Libby at 886-3615 or libbyl@caller.com, Courtesy of Betty Haynes, Knight Ridder Newspapers

Share recipe ideas and cooking tips in the Recipe forum. (Registration required, but it is free.)

The healing cook Cookbook author Nina Simonds thinks that our healthy foods should also taste delicious.

Divine Cakes Create new exciting desserts, plus tips on making great birthday cakes from scratch.

Rethinking Pork Think you know all about pork. Think again. Plus great tips on creating Creme Brulee.

Baklava The word alone sounds gooey, delicious and mysterious as it dances across your tongue.

| Talk about this story | Next Story | Home |

---

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

---

[ Printer-friendly version ]
[ Subscribe to newspaper ]

SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND

---

  © 2000, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.