Our Easter Menu

I wanted our Easter meal to be colorful, tasty and light....and it was!

A friend at Gather.com had posted what looked like a delicious cream of beet soup several weeks ago and I thought that would be the perfect beginning for our meal....and it was!

Cream of Beet Soup - courtesy of Dorine Houston

1 bunch beets 
1 bay leaf 
4 whole black peppercorns 
Water to cover 
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped 
1 shallot, peeled and chopped 
Tiny pinch cinnamon 
A few gratings nutmeg 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
1/2 cup plain yogurt 
Chopped fresh mint leaves to garnish 

Remove leaves and stems from beets; reserve greens for another use.  Wash beetroots thoroughly in several changes of water to remove all sand.  Cut the tail of the beetroot down to about an inch from the end of the bulbous part. 

Gently boil beetroots with bay leaf, peppercorns and enough water to cover them until the beets are tender through.  Depending on their size, it may take 15-30 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, plunge cooked beets immediately into ice water.  This shocks the skin loose so it is easy to peel the beets with your fingers.  Chop peeled beets and place them in a blender or food processor. 

Strain the beet cooking water into a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  If necessary, add cold water to reach 2 cups.  Pour about 1/2 cup of the water into the blender.  Process until the beets are smooth.  Pour into a clean saucepan.  Add another 1/2 cup of the water to the blender and add the apples, shallot, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Process until smooth.  Add apple mixture and remaining water to the saucepan with the beets.  Bring to barely a boil and turn the heat off.  Whisk in the salt, pepper and yogurt until smooth. 

Pour into a tureen and sprinkle with the chopped fresh, mint.  Depending on where you live, it may already be making its presence known in your garden! 

Sonia's notes: I divided the recipe by 1/3 and it was still a substantial amount for the two of us.

Instead of adding yogurt and whisking it in, I added a couple of dollops of sour cream.  The taste is a combination of piquant and sweet.  I will definitely make this again.

Photo: The Cream of Beet Soup

Easter Bunny Carrot & Orange Salad

Grated carrots

Ginger Sesame Salmon

4 onion slices, sliced thin
2 carrots, shredded or julienned
1 pound salmon fillet (to 1 1/2 lbs)
2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

Center onion and carrot on foil sheet. Top with salmon fillet.  

In small bowl, combine ginger, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Pour over salmon. Season with salt and pepper. Wrap and seal foil to form a packet.  

Cook covered, 20 to 25 minutes on medium-hot grill or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve salmon topped with onion and carrots on a bed of spinach. Sprinkle with additional seasoned rice vinegar, if desired.

Baking instructions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees; bake for 16 to 20 minutes on a cookie sheet.

Sonia's notes: I cut this recipe in half for the two of us.   I sauteed the spinach until wilted but not overcooked in the grease after cooking the equivalent of 1 bacon slice cut in small pieces.

YIELD: 4 servings

SOURCE: International Recipes OnLine

The dessert will be on another post

Photo: The Carrot & Orange Salad served on Hawaii grown Manoa lettuce leaf, sour cherries in syrup in the tiny bowls,  Ginger-Sesame Salmon topped with julienne of carrots and slice of onion on a bed of sauteed spinach in bacon pieces. 

Original article