Easter is my sister Lia's holiday. She hosts both sides of the family every year - upwards of 20 people. She starts her cooking the day before, attends Easter Sunday mass with her family, then starts cooking again before we all descend on her house! In our family, Lia is definitely the more laid back of the two of us. She is a good sport when we all try to take over in the kitchen, offer our two cents on tweaking recipes, and arrive early or late (or both).
Photos courtesy of Genta Mecolli - thank you Genta!
Lia's meal is delicious, and beautiful, every year. One of the most memorable dishes this year was her pork leg. She was taught how to make this succulent pork by the best - Lety Garcia - but this year, Lia outdid herself. Just looking at the pictures over a month later, my mouth still waters. The au jus that remains after removing the pork has such a depth of flavor, you would have thought she cooked it for days!
I hope you will enjoy these recipes! Thanks to Lia, Lety, and Genta for contributing to this post.
Lia (and Lety's) Pork Leg
- 1 leg - fatty later removed (22 -25 pounds)
- 1 bulb garlic
- Granulated chicken bouillon powder
- Limes (4-5)
- Chicken stock (2 quarts)
- Black pepper
- Sugar
- Olive oil
Directions:
Score the leg and place 1 clove of garlic in each slit, then rub olive oil all over the leg. Squeeze 3-4 limes over the leg and sprinkle with bouillon powder and pepper. Use a heavy hand with the spices; you want the meat well covered. Cover the leg with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Remove the leg from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. When the over reaches temperature, cook the leg uncovered for 30 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and let cook for another 90 minutes. Pour 2 bottles of beer (your choice) over the leg and add 2 quarts of chicken broth, the juice of another lime, and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the juices in the pan. Tent the leg with foil and cook the leg for another 2-3 hours, basting every 30 minutes, until the leg reaches 160 degrees internal temperature in the thickest part of the leg.
Braciole
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 2/3 cup Pecorino Romano
- 1/3 cup grated Provolone
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup dried Italian bread crumbs (Whole Foods Italian bread crumbs are her secret!)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 pounds of flank steak - pounded flat
- 6-8 cups gravy (red gravy that is!)
Directions:
Mix the first six ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Season the steak with salt and pepper, then place the bread crumbs mixture evenly over the meat. Roll the meat up like a jelly roll and tie with kitchen twine in several places to secure the meat and bread crumb mixture.
Place a dutch oven or a large saute pan with sides on the stove top and heat on medium high. Once the pan is hot, add an additional 4 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan until it starts to shimmer. Brown the meat on all sides, then add 6-8 cups of gravy. Cover and place in a 350 degree even and cook until the internal temperature of the meat is 140 degrees (medium). Remove the pan and let it sit covered for another 10 minutes.
Remove the kitchen twine and cut the meat into at 2 inch slices. Cover with gravy and serve!
Jicama Salad
- 1 Jicama, peeled and sliced into strips
- Fresh lime juice, to taste
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions:
Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and additional lime juice to taste.
