Passover and a winner

The winner of the See's Candies gift certificate is Suzy!

I wanted to share some pictures from Passover with you. I hosted, and decided to go with a relatively simple menu - somehow most of the dishes ended up being adapted from Barefoot Contessa recipes. I didn't get pictures of everything, but here are some of the highlights.

This is a pretty traditional matzo ball soup. I took the idea of the fresh dill and parsley from Barefoot Contessa Parties.

I decided to splurge and go for rack of lamb as the main course. I used the recipe in Barefoot Contessa Parties which involves a crust of dijon mustard, fresh rosemary, balsamic vinegar, garlic and salt.

I boiled these baby yukon gold potatoes until tender, them flattened them under my palm and baked them with some olive oil, salt and pepper until crispy.

More of those delicious green green spring vegetables from Barefoot Contessa at Home.

This dessert was inspired by a meal I had at the restaurant Perbacco. I made meringue shells, which I filled with passion fruit curd. I put the meringues on a pool of raspberry sauce and garnished with fresh raspberries. The meringue and raspberry sauce recipes came from Barefoot in Paris. For the curd, I just substituted passion fruit puree for lemon juice in a lemon curd recipe.

I was really happy with this meal, everything came out about as well as could be expected.

Green green spring vegetables

It’s definitely starting to look like spring around here. Some proof from my backyard, bonus points if you can identify these:

I am trying to make the most of asparagus while it’s still in season. I was flipping through Barefoot Contessa at Home and noticed a recipe for green green spring vegetables that includes asparagus. It sounded like a perfect side dish, and I set out to make it.

This is a very simple recipe – asparagus, french green beans, broccolini and sugar snap peas are lightly blanched in salted water. Am I the only person out there that actually thinks it’s fun to blanch vegetables? It’s a foolproof method to end up with vibrantly colored and perfectly cooked vegetables. Some shallots are thinly sliced and browned in a combination of butter and olive oil, and the vegetables are added to the pan to warm through.

As usual, I didn’t use all the butter that was called for. If you cut the fat like I did, it makes for a very healthy and beautiful side dish. I think you could use other combinations of green vegetables and still end up with a great result.

Maple baked beans

I have been on a dried bean kick recently. I usually buy canned beans for the convenience factor, but after reading about cooking dried beans, I decided to give it a try. I've been cooking up large batches of chickpeas, black beans and white beans and storing them in the freezer. When I saw this recipe for maple baked beans in Barefoot Contessa at Home, I had to give it a try. I used a pound of small red beans, which worked perfectly. The beans are soaked overnight and cooked until tender. Once the beans are soft, they are combined with a sweet and tangy sauce that includes ketchup, brown sugar, ginger and maple syrup. The recipe calls for chinese chile paste, which I didn't have. I substituted hot sauce, and it worked fine. The beans, sauce and some diced bacon go in a low oven for 6 to 8 hours. I cooked mine for about 8 hours. This is definitely not a recipe that you can make on a whim, but I must say it was worth the effort.

Roasted shrimp and orzo

On the day I bought Barefoot Contessa at Home, I read through the book and picked out all the recipes I wanted to try. This shrimp and orzo salad was at the top of my list, and it's taken me almost a year to get around to making it! Luckily, this dish didn't disappoint. I happen to love dill, so I was very happy with the combination of shrimp, dill and feta. I omitted the red onion called for in the recipe; since the recipe calls for an entire cup of green onions, I felt that would be enough onion flavor. I also reduced the amount of oil in the dressing by adding a little honey to cut the acidity of the lemon juice.

Tomato feta salad

I picked up a variety of cherry tomatoes at the farmer's market today, and I thought this recipe from Ina Garten would be a perfect use for them. This salad came together in minutes. I didn't have a red onion, but I did have a shallot, so I used that instead. Tomatoes and feta are truly a great flavor combination.

Stewed lentils and tomatoes

This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa at Home. I think it was intended to be a side dish, but I served it as a main course. The dish starts with carrots, onions and garlic sauteed in a little olive oil. Chicken stock, canned tomatoes, fresh thyme, curry powder, salt and pepper are added to the vegetables and the liquid is brought to a boil. Next, the lentils are added and simmered for about 30-40 minutes. This was a very healthy dish, and it had a nice flavor. I think we both agreed that it was a little heavy on the tomatoes. Next time, I'll use a 14 ounce can instead of a 28 ounce can.

Barefoot Contessa at Home - Guacamole salad

I've made quite a few variations of black bean salad, but this recipe was particularly good. Grape tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, jalapeno, red onion, avocado and black beans are tossed in a slightly spicy lime dressing. I think that the avocado and lime zest were the ingredients that really made this salad. I used avocado oil in the dressing instead of olive oil.

Orange glazed carrots

These carrots are really delicious. I was trying to use up the odds and ends in my vegetable drawer so that I can restock tomorrow. I saw a recipe for glazed carrots in Barefoot Contessa at Home, and adapted the recipe to my taste. Here's what I came up with.

Orange glazed carrots
Serves 2

3 cups of carrot slices cut on the diagonal, about 1/2 inch thick
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup water
pinch of kosher salt or grey sea salt
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
juice from 1/2 of an orange
pinch of fleur de sel for finishing

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the water, honey and pinch of kosher/grey salt. Bring to a boil. Add the carrots, cover and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook the carrots until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the orange zest and orange juice, cook over medium heat until carrots are tender and juice has formed a glaze. Remove from heat, finish with fleur de sel.