A different take on the "normal" Easter Sunday dinner

Being Italian, every Easter Sunday dinner had all its key elements such as Antipasto, some sort of a pasta dish, ravioli or stuffed shells. Then the lamb, the standing rib roast, stuffed artichokes, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, salad, etc. This year we went a different route, combining Easter with Ariel's 21st Birthday dinner. Her choice, it became a Puerto Rican Easter Sunday Dinner.

before cooking

Puerto Rican Easter Sunday Dinner

First dish was homemade meat empanadas using a packaged dough, making the job much easier. This dough though is not your ordinary Goya disc dough used. It has a pastry like consistency (thanks Ana) and therefore these empanadas are to be baked, not fried. You can see I almost burned the ones on  the right.. A little burn taste didn't ruin these babies. They were just fantastic.

ready to eat

Then for the next course, the dishes came flowing. It was the traditional Puerto Rican Pernil which was prepped, smothered in garlic and a few other light spices to marinade for 2 days. Then it is slow cooked for 4 hours til the pork almost falls off on its own.

in the oven

sliced Pernil which is actually pork shoulder

We also had a chicken dish, which again, I thought I would not like once I found out how it was prepared. But  to my surprise, pleasant surprise, this chicken dish was excellent. It is marinaded in Onion Soup Mix, Light French Dressing and  Duck Sauce.  Sounds freaky to me, but  I can't wait to eat the leftovers on that one.

Then we had white rice with black beans. The beans have small pieces of ham, potatoes and green olives in them too. Avocado, tomato and red onion salad mixed with white vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper adds just the right taste to lighten up a heavy meal. 

Then we had this potato salad that is served warm. It contains hard boiled eggs and corn. The first time I saw this I thought it was really odd, mainly cause of the corn. But it is a dish I like to introduce to people, who try it with hesitancy, but then ultimately love it too. 

I had to have a green vegetable, so I snuck in one Italian dish, Broccoli Rabe with garlic & oil..  

hey, it's only a vegetable, it's not like I ruined the meal..

And for dessert, a request by the birthday girl, her mom's 2 day process, Flan. This is not your ordinary slimy Flan. This is made with cream cheese added to the original recipe, which makes it extremely creamy, heavier texture and much more delicious.

And, of course , the Birthday Cake.

Red Velvet by Cake Chef on Staten Island. And a fresh fruit platter. 

Great day, great meal..

HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY ARIEL!

On a side note, these pictures aren't exactly as I would have liked them to be, but it's hard to keep 2 tables full of people waiting for me to arrange the food so the pics come out the way I want.  Just sayin'... But thanks to those that indulge me. xo