A little Jersey produce can go a long way this Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is on its way in a little over a week. If you haven’t made your brunch reservations yet, you may be hard pressed to find a place with openings. Never fear, nothing says “I Love You” like a well planned and executed Mother’s Day homemade meal.

Hey, even if it isn’t all that well executed, we Moms give A’s for effort.

For whatever reason, the traditional celebratory meal on Mother’s Day is Brunch. (Personally I think a cruise would be a more appropriate gift.) So, I’ve created a very simple brunch menu incorporating some favorite spring produce and some quick, “semi-home-made” solutions to help take the pressure off.

What’s your favorite Mother’s Day reciple? Does your family have a Mother’s Day tradition?Tell us in the comments below.

The only time is in caramelizing the onions and the way I look at it, if Mom could carry you around for nine months, you can spend 40 minutes stirring onions for a dish she’s going to love.

Leek and asparagus quiche

2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Cup Leeks, cleaned and chopped pale green and tender white parts only
1 Bunch of thin asparagus, thinly sliced on the diagonal in approximately 1 inch pieces
4 Jumbo Eggs
1 Cup Heavy Cream
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper
Pinch of Nutmeg
4 Ounces Goat Cheese
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
Ready Made Refrigerated Pie Crust

Directions

Pre-bake pie crust according to package instructions. Once pie crust is removed, place on large baking sheet.

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and sauté leeks and asparagus for approximately 4 – 6 minutes, until asparagus is tender but not wilted. Remember, the asparagus should be thinly cut.

Beat eggs in separate bowl. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg and stir in cream and Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Add asparagus mixture to pie crust, layer with crumbled goat cheese, pour egg mixture on top.

You may want to foil the exposed pie crust to avoid over browning. Carefully transfer to oven and cook until firm, approximately 50 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Or, serve at room temperature.

Rigatoni with peas and pancetta

8 ounces (1/2 box Mezzi Rigatoni or any pasta of your choosing)
2 Tbs. Unsalted butter
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
4 Vidalia Onions, roughly chopped
4 ounces diced Pancetta
6 – 8 ounces fresh Peas or frozen Peas
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh Oregano, chopped
½ Cup Heavy Cream
¼ – ½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Heat butter and oil in large sauté pan over medium high heat until bubbles from butter dissolve. Reduce heat to medium and add onions, stirring to coat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and reduce heat to medium-low. (Salting the onions will help them caramelize faster.) There are many variations of this technique. I prefer to cook my onions on low and slow occasionally stirring them. This process takes about 40 minutes. Some believe you should start in a dry pan, wait until the onions stick and then add fat. If you are unsure, search for a video on the subject. I’m sure you’ll find a few.

While onions cook, cook pasta as directed on the box. In the last two minutes of cooking time, add peas to the pasta water. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid before draining pasta and peas.

After onions have cooked, remove from pan and add pancetta. Raise heat to medium-high, and cook until browned. Stir in garlic and oregano, sauté for 2 minutes. Return onions to pan, add cream and bring to a simmer. Add pasta/peas and loosen mixture with pasta water as needed. Stir in Parmesan Cheese and serve.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I totally cheated on this and bought the microwavable chocolate that they sell right next to the strawberries in the produce aisle. It just made life easier and the kids loved helping.

Wash strawberries, leaving stems intact. Dry thoroughly.

Melt chocolate according to packaging.

Once chocolate is creamy, dip and swirl strawberry to cover all sides.

Rest on a sheet of wax paper until chocolate hardens.

 

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