My childhood neighborhood was somewhat of a melting pot, so we were exposed to traditions from other nationalities and cultures. Every Easter, my mother would serve kielbasa, sauer kraut and pierogies in the afternoon. For those of you who are not familiar, kielbasa is a Polish sausage and pierogies are small, turnover style, dumplings. Pierogies can be filled with either potato and cheese, sauer kraut and mushroom or meat. I've even had them filled with fruit. The outside is similar to a Chinese dumpling and they may be fried or boiled. My mother would fry them in butter, with onions. She would serve them with sour cream on the side. We also enjoy them with Chinese hot oil! (I said we came from a melting pot!) Insofar as the kielbasi goes, there are two types...fresh and smoked. We eat the fresh for this occasion. She covers it with water in a stock pot, adds the sauer kraut and some bay leaf and brings it to a boil, then simmers for a while. Fortunately, we have a Polish community in our neighborhood, where we can obtain all these wonderful foods. I do beleive most supermarkets carry pierogies these days, and I know they have smoked kielbasa. If you know of a Polish community not far from you, it's worth the trip. Both items will freeze beautifully, so you can stock up for next time. :o) The pierogies and the kielbasa are served in an hors d'oeuvres setting, as opposed to a formal lunch. Just a taste, as these foods are rich and filling, and we want to leave room for dinner...and let's see what that might be :o)

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Arugala and Endive Salad
with warm bacon vinegarette dressing
Roasted Rosemary Chicken
Asparagus Sauté
Pureed Potatoes with Bleu Cheese and Chives
Assorted Pastry & Chocolate

Arugala & Endive Salad, with a Warm Bacon Vinegarette

Pancetta, which is an Italian bacon is preferred for this dish. However, regular, turkey or meatless bacon may be substituted.

2 bunches of arugala (cleaned, stems cut to leaf start)

2 endive (sliced in circular slices)

4 strips of cooked bacon, flexible, not crisp, cut into bite-size pieces

4 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 oz. balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic (grated)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 pinch of oregano

Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Hard Locatelli or Pecorino Romano Cheese

Divide arugala and endive onto 4 salad plates. Divide bacon and add to salad plates. In a microwaveable dish, combine next 6 ingredients and mix well. Right before you are ready to serve, microwave the dressing, on high for 1 minute. Pour dressing evenly over the 4 salad servings. Top each serving with shavings of the cheese, which can be done nicely with a potato peeler.

Roasted Rosemary Chicken

(Serves 4)

2 whole chickens (about 2 1/2 lbs. each)

12 garlic cloves (peeled)

1/2 cup onions, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup carrots, coarsely chopped

4 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 T. olive oil

2 tsps. salt

A pepper mill containing black peppercorns

4 whole carrots, peeled and halved vertically

4 whole stalks of celery

4 onions quartered

4 parsnips, peeled and halved

2 cups chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Push 6 cloves of the garlic under the skin of each chicken (3 under each breast). Place 1/4 cup each of the chopped onions, celery and carrots into the cavity of each chicken, along with 2 bay leaves for each.

3. Strip the leaves from the rosemary sprigs and chop them. Push the leaves under the skin of each breast and sprinkle some over the skin; place rosemary stem in each cavity. Rub the skin of each chicken with 1 tablespoon of the oil, and sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp. of the salt and 6 turns of pepper.

4. Place halved carrots in a large roasting pan. Place the whole celery stalks across the carrots to form a bed for the chickens. Place the quartered onions, parsnips, around the pan and add chicken broth. Sprinkle the Vegas with the remaining salt and 12 turns of the pepper mill.

5. Place the chickens on top of the Vegas and roast for 45 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and roast for about 45 minutes more..until meat is near falling off the bone.

6. Serve 1/2 chicken per person, surround by the veggies

Asparagus Sauté

3 lbs. pencil asparagus ( bottoms cut off)

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic (sliced)

Add olive oil to a heated saucepan. Add garlic and asparagus and sauté until they turn a deep green. Serve al dente.

Pureed Potatoes with Bleu Cheese and Chives

3 lbs. red bliss potatoes (quartered)

6 cloves of roasted garlic

3 sprigs of fresh chives (chopped)

4 oz. crumbled bleu cheese

1/4 c. milk

2 T. butter or margarine

salt to taste

Boil potatoes with skins on, until soft. While potatoes are piping hot, add remaining ingredients and puree with hand mixer. You'll want the consistency of the puree to be able to stand in peaks on the plate. Add additonal milk if needed. Salt to taste.

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