What the Pro’s say about Easter

Well, I for one am glad that this week I can focus on a holiday—Easter.  I remember that as a child we had very nice, cute clothes, a special kind of cute, things to wear to church, including white gloves and laced socks, patent leather black shoes and of course, the perfect dress and hat. All when in elementary school!

The funny thing about looking so cute was that right after church we would have the Easter egg hunt. Of course that was fun, but there was always that thought that you must not get dirty either. Took some of the fun from it. Anyway, all in all I have good memories of that day. 

The tradition in our home was church, Easter egg hunt, and then dinner! My mom could really put out a feast. We always had ham, but it was almost like Thanksgiving again: sweet potatoes, cornbread, collared greens, dirty rice, pumpkin pie. There was not lack of food. We ate it all, too. I miss these dinners, a lot. But if I can put together a meal anything like what my mom did, I am happy.

I believe in planning ahead to for these large meals. Everything, with the exception of the ham, is made the night before. After all, we may have to go watch some kids find Easter eggs. We want to be prepared and not stressed about getting the food done. I thought it would be nice to see what some of the local chefs and businesses are doing for Easter.
 
Sara and Eric—owners of Mosaic Foods Fargo
 
High Plains Reader:  Will you be having any special things going on for Easter at your restaurant?

Mosaic Foods:  We will be closed on Easter Sunday to relax with our children ... but will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We will be taking any catering orders we have room for. In addition we will start serving “tapas” small plates (not Spanish…necessarily) starting on Wed, April 8th. We will be open nightly Tues. through Sat. at our Cafe Mosaic South location.
 
HPR:  What, if any, suggestions do you have for all those soon-to-be-leftover eggs?

MF:  Yum! Deviled egg salad, spinach cobb salad, traditional potato salad (with hard-boiled eggs). 
 
HPR:  Do you have a dinner menu that is easy for the Reader’s audience to put together for Easter?

MF:  Honey Baked Ham is always a favorite. Try pairing with some parmesan scalloped potatoes & roasted asparagus with hollandaise sauce.
 
HPR:  Instead of the traditional ham dinner, what could we have for the main course for a vegetarian?

MF:  With spring in the air, a nice pasta primavera would be wonderful. Toss it with as many fresh vegetables as you can find. Add a little pesto for a bit of a kick.
 
HPR:  Do you have any events coming up, and are you taking any catering that comes in after today, Thursday, for Easter? Contact info please.

MF:  Cafe Mosiac South will be open evenings. I’ll send you the details in another email! 

Contact Mosaic Foods at http://www.mosaicfoods.net or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or by phone 701-371-8830.
 

Andrea Baumgardner and Peter Kelly—Owners of Green Market Catering at the Plains
 
High Plains Reader:  Will you be having any special things going on for Easter at your restaurant?

Green Market:  We decided to not do an Easter brunch. 

HPR:  What, if any, suggestions do you have for all those soon-to-be-leftover eggs?

GM:  If those eggs have been at room temperature for any length of time, just enjoy finding them and throw them out!

HPR:  Do you have a dinner menu that is easy for the Reader’s audience to put together for Easter?

GM:  We like roast leg of lamb for dinner, a savory bread pudding with rich taleggio cheese, lovely spring vegetables like asparagus, and salads of tender greens and pea shoots (available at the A and A market downtown). I always like shellfish too.
 
HPR:  Instead of the traditional ham dinner, what could we have for the main course for a vegetarian?

GM:  Vegetarian options include ravioli served with spring baby carrots and asparagus, a lovely salad, or even a pasta main course.

HPR:  Do you have any events coming up, and are you taking any catering that comes in after today, Thursday, for Easter? Contact info please.

GM:  We are doing a few special orders and caterings for people and would be happy to help people out with Easter requests.

Contact Green Market Catering at 701-232-3821 ext. 118 or stop by our place in the Plains Art Museum.
 
 
Tony and Sarah G. Nasello—Owners of Sarello’s

High Plains Reader:  Will you be having any special things going on for Easter at your restaurant?

Sarello’s:  We are closed on Easter Sunday, and for the past several years, we have celebrated at the Sofitel’s Easter Brunch in Minneapolis, so we aren’t used to thinking about an Easter menu! Unfortunately, this year we will probably be eating as we sandbag … what a crazy time.

HPR:  What, if any, suggestions do you have for all those soon-to-be-leftover eggs?

S:  Our son’s preschool just finished a food-cutting series, and they used hard-boiled eggs as one of their foods to help them develop their skills. This would be a fun way to get small children to continue the Easter fun and build some culinary skills too! 
 
HPR:  Do you have a dinner menu that is easy for the Reader’s audience to put together for Easter?

S:  Italians traditionally serve lamb on Easter, and Tony grew up with his mother’s rosemary-Dijon rack of lamb. Take the rack of lamb and spread Dijon mustard over each rack, and then dredge them in a mixture of breadcrumbs, finely chopped rosemary, salt and pepper. Place the racks on a baking sheet and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for fifteen minutes to a perfect medium-rare. Serve with roasted red potatoes and fresh green beans Nasello.

HPR:  Instead of the traditional ham dinner, what could we have for the main course for a vegetarian?

S:  For vegetarians we recommend a risotto primavera with green and white asparagus, green onions, white wine and parmesan cheese.

HPR:  Do you have any events coming up, and are you taking any catering that comes in after today, Thursday, for Easter? Contact info please.

S:  We are hosting a “Neighborhood Flood Party” tomorrow night in our wine lounge from 5-8 p.m. for our re-opening. We have decided to turn lemons into lemonade, so we’re inviting everyone to join us for free Lemoncello punch and flood stories! We’ve already had a great response from people, and it should be a fun night, so please stop in and say hello if you have the chance.

Contact Sarello’s at 218-287-0238 or by fax at 218-287-0239 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
 
Again, I hope you are all safe wherever you live in this area. I also hope you eat well this weekend and every night.  Don’t forget that if you have food that is left over and not eaten, you can always take it to homeless shelters around the area. Have a great week.