Ham, Lamb or Rabbit

Our April gardens are full of forsythia, sweet-smelling crocus, tiny viola and pansy flowers with their sweet heartshaped faces, daffodils bending their bright yellow frilled coronas toward the sun, tulips blooming in riotous color, and the intensely fragrant hyacinths with their star-shaped flowers. Days are longer, the Earth is in its cyclical renewal of Spring. Easter is a joyous spring celebration of the Resurrection, central to Christian faith. Symbols of Easter have given rise to more secular traditions - the Easter bunny bringing candy (forbidden during the Lenten season), Easter egg hunts, colored Easter eggs, Easter parades, fluffy yellow chicks and the Easter lily, growing from dormant bulbs to flowers representing hope and rebirth. And of course we can't forget our Easter dinner! The choice of foods can also be symbolic, like lambembodying pureness and sacrifice, and a traditional Passover meal. Or hambecause it is in season and is a staple of the holiday meal. Or…rabbit? No, not the Easter bunny, a fable of an egg-laying hare brought to our country by German immigrants in the 18th century, but farmraised rabbits or rabbits from the wild. Rabbit meat is a white meat - some compare it to chicken, but to me it is much more delicate as the meat is finegrained and with proper cooking, tender with succulent flavor. They are a quickbreeding source of high-protein and lowfat meat. As ranching is the practice of raising cattle and sheep, cuniculture is the agricultural practice of raising rabbit for meat, fur or wool. Fresh or frozen, rabbit is available year-round and is unique in that it is all white meat. Wegman's sells rabbit fryers, as does the gourmet food purveyor, D'Artagnan, along with rabbit loin, legs and even a rabbit sausage. It's much easier to find chocolate Easter bunnies in stores than it is to find the raised variety! Happy Easter!

GLAZED HAM

If you purchase a spiral-sliced ham, there is usually a glaze packet included. It's easy to use that, but it's also easy to make your own glaze. Trim and place a shank ham on a roasting pan. Roast at 325°F to 140° on a meat thermometer (about 30 minutes per pound). Remove from oven and cover with a glaze. Return to the oven for about 10 minutes or so.

Spicy Apricot Glaze

Mix 1 1/2 cups apricot preserves with 1 tablespoon of ginger and 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic.

Honey Mustard Glaze

Mix 1/3c honey with 1/3 cup French's mustard and 2T white corn syrup. Spread over just the top of the ham. This is delicious when making sandwiches later on.

LAMB ROULADE

Either purchase a boned lamb or bone one yourself (or, luxury, have a butcher bone one for you). Smash six large cloves of garlic with 2 teaspoons of salt. Spread the inside of the roast with this mixture. Mix together 1 pound of cooked chopped spinach, with two eggs, ?c sliced spring onions and 6-8 ounces of feta cheese. Roll the roast and tie up (you can easily find instructions online) making sure to fold the ends in, so none of the filling will come out. Smash two cloves of garlic with 1tsp salt and mix with 2tsp dried oregano, 1/3c finely minced fresh parsley and enough extra-virgin olive oil to hold it together. Spread over the roulade, roll it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before roasting. Unwrap from the plastic, in place on a rack or a roasting pan. Preheat oven to 450°F and roast for five minutes, then reduce the heat to 325°F and continue roasting to an internal temperature of 130°F for medium to medium rare. Serve with oven, roasted potatoes, and a fresh

AND NOW FOR PETER RABBIT

This recipe is for rabbit legs, although you could roast a whole rabbit and serve this sauce with it, Rehydrate 4 ounces of dehydrated wild mushrooms. Sauté two large shallots and 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat until softened, about two minutes, then sauté the rehydrated mushrooms. Pour in 2 ounces of sherry vinegar, and simmer until reduced by half. Add 2 ounces of either chicken demi-glace or beef demiglace, or a combination of the two. Stir in three-quarter cups water and simmer until thickened, about five minutes. Add 1/2 cup sour cream, 3 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into Dutch oven. Pat four rabbit legs dry. Brown the legs in butter until golden. Nestle them in the sauce, then put a bouquet garni of fresh thyme, sage and parsley to one side. Roast at 250°F until the rabbit is done, internal 160°F on a meat thermometer, adding more liquid if needed during the approximately 1 3/4 to two hours cooking time. Try it! You may love it! Happy spring to everyone.

Vanessa serves up yummy recipes for every season