Easter eats
Roasted Leg of Lamb with a Shallot and Chorizo Stuffing served with a Spiced Shallot and Cherry Tomato Sauce (pictured above)
Serves 6
Preparation time: 40 minutes (plus overnight marinade)
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
You'll need:
For the leg of Lamb:
1.13 kg boneless leg of lamb, butterflied
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp rosemary leaves
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp small mint leaves (or torn larger leaves)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
½ lemon, juiced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chorizo stuffing:
150g breadcrumbs
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
8 shallots, peeled and diced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tsp thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g fresh Mexican chorizo, skinned and chopped into small chunks
2 tbsp mint, chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
For the spiced shallot and cherry tomato sauce:
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
4 shallots, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
400g of cherry tomatoes, halved
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp mint, chopped
2 tbsp fresh chives
Sea salt and ground black pepper
What to do:
To prepare the lamb:
Place the lamb in a baking dish and coat it well on all sides with the smashed garlic, rosemary, chopped parsley, mint, oil, lemon and cracked black pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Take the lamb out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes before stuffing it, to bring it to room temperature.
To make the stuffing:
Toss the breadcrumbs with 2 tbsp rapeseed oil. Spread them on a baking sheet and toast for 6-8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are golden brown.
Heat a medium pot over high heat for 1 minute. Add the remaining rapeseed oil, the rosemary and the chilli; let them sizzle in the oil about 1 minute. Stir in the shallots, garlic and thyme and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn the heat down to medium and cook about 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and discard the rosemary.
While the shallots are cooking, heat a medium sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes.
Crumble the chorizo into the pan, and sauté about 8 minutes, until the sausage is crisp and cooked through. Drain the chorizo of excess oil and add it to the bowl with the onions. Stir in the breadcrumbs, mint and parsley and combine well. Taste for seasoning.
To cook the lamb:
Preheat the oven to 175°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3
Season the lamb on both sides with sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper. Lay the meat on a cutting board, fat side down and open like a book. Spoon as much of the chorizo stuffing as you can (about half or a little more) on the right side of the lamb. Fold the left side over the stuffing, as if you're closing a book. If some of the stuffing falls out, stuff what you can back in. Tie the lamb with butcher's string at 2-inch intervals to hold it together while roasting. Carefully place the lamb on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan.
Put the remaining chorizo stuffing into a small dish and set aside. Roast the lamb for 1 hour and 20 minutes, rest for 20 minutes. While lamb is resting put the rest of the stuffing in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
To make the spiced shallot and cherry tomato sauce:
Heat the oil in the pan and gently fry the shallots for 2-3 minutes, add the garlic, tomatoes, cayenne pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce has reduced slightly. Stir in the herbs and season to taste.
To serve, slice the lamb and serve with the tomato sauce.
NB
You can ask your butcher to bone and butterfly a leg of lamb for you
Sweetheart soup with celery, shallots, bacon and sage
This is a wonderful soup to make with a wide range of year round vegetables, and is perfect for lunch, served piping hot with garlic bread or cheesy croutons. As a dinner party starter you could add some rice to the soup as it boils, and serve it in small cups with breadsticks and pass round a bowl with freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
You'll need:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, trimmed and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 slices of streaky bacon or pancetta, sliced into small cubes
sea salt and pepper
1 Sweetheart cabbage, trimmed and finely chopped (approx. 900g)
1 tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 litre of vegetable stock
fresh shavings of Parmiggiano Reggiano
What to do:
Heat some olive oil in a heavy soup pot, and add the finely chopped shallots, carrot, celery, garlic and bacon. Mix the vegetables well, and season with salt and pepper. Sweat the vegetables until soft, adding a little water to steam them slightly. Make sure the vegetables do not crisp and burn by adding a little additional water if necessary, and stirring.
When the vegetables are soft, add the cabbage slices and the sage. Mix well. Add the stock, bring the soup to the boil and then lower the heat. After five minutes the soup will be ready.
Pour the soup into warm serving bowls and then sprinkle fresh Parmiggiano reggiano shavings on top.
www.lovethecrunch.com
Smoked Haddock and watercress fishcakes
A family favourite – these fishcakes with zingy lemon, buttery smoked haddock and peppery watercress have an extra healthy boost!
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes + chilling time
Cooking time: 30 minutes
You'll need:
400g potatoes
30g butter
500g smoked haddock
1L milk
85g watercress
Zest of a lemon
2 spring onions, sliced
2 tsp oil
flour to dust
What to do:
Peel the potatoes and chop into small chunks. Cook in boiling water for approximately 10 minutes until tender. Drain then add the butter, season and mash roughly.
Meanwhile in a large deep frying pan, gently cook the fish in the milk (in 2 batches if necessary) for 8 minutes or until it flakes. Lift the fish out of the milk and set aside on a plate. Chop the watercress.
When the fish is cool enough to handle flake it into a large bowl, add the mashed potatoes, watercress and spring onions and grate in the lemon zest.
Gently combine all the ingredients then shape into 8 fishcakes, using your hands. Leave to chill in the fridge for ½ hour.
Heat 2 tsp oil in a frying pan, dust both sides of the fishcakes with flour and gently fry on each side until they are browned and hot to the centre. Serve with a salad of fresh watercress.
www.watercress.co.uk
A Warm Radish, Halloumi, Potato and Cherry Tomato Salad with a Mustard and Dill Dressing
Colourful and deliciously warming, this salad has a beautiful balance of flavours across the potatoes, the salty Halloumi and the little bite of the radish and mustard. This dish is not only healthy, thanks to the vitamins, iron and potassium of the low-GI radish, but makes a great lunch time snack or will look fantastic on any supper table.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
You'll need:
200g new potatoes, sliced
150g mixed radishes, cut in half
100g cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil
200g Halloumi sliced
For the dressing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Small bunch of dill chopped
Salt and pepper
What to do:
Place the new potatoes in a medium sized pan, cover with cold water, and lightly salt. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked. Drain and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl mix together the olive oil and vinegar, then add the Dijon mustard and dill.
Add the new potatoes, radishes and cherry tomatoes to the dressing, mix and season well.
Heat the olive oil in a medium sized non-stick frying pan and cook the Halloumi on both sides for 1 minute until golden brown.
Add the Halloumi to the salad and mix gently, then divide between 4 plates and serve immediately.
www.lovethecrunch.com
Diana Henry's Beetroot and Potato Gratin
Diana says: 'This is absolutely delicious with roast beef or salmon. You can add about 3 tsp of creamed horseradish if you want (just spread it out between the layers). It's also good with the addition of flaked smoked mackerel, in which case it makes a good main course for 4.'
Serves 6 as a side dish
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
You'll need:
1kg potatoes, preferably waxy ones
500g cooked beetroot
425ml double cream
140ml sour cream
85ml full fat milk
salt and pepper
3tsp creamed horseradish (optional)
What to do:
Pre-heat the oven to 180oC
Peel the potatoes and slice very finely – a mandoline is the best way to do this. Cut the beetroot into fine slices as well – they don't have to be as thin. You can cut them with a knife.
In a large saucepan, mix together the creams and the milk and bring the liquid to just under the boil. Add the sliced potatoes and cook gently for 5 minutes.
Season really well and spoon ½ the potatoes into a buttered gratin dish. Put a layer of beetroot on top – seasoning as you go, then top with the rest of the potatoes and their cream. Put in the oven for 1 hour, or until the vegetables are completely tender. You may need to cover the top with foil after 45 minutes to stop the top becoming too dark in colour.
www.lovebeetroot.co.uk
BerryWorld Blueberry and Lemon Curd Muffins
These delicious tangy muffins with a crunchy topping are just bursting with blueberries, best served warm and fresh from the oven. Easy and quick to make they are perfect for a breakfast or a teatime treat.
Makes: approx 10
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
You'll need:
100g butter
200g blueberries
250g self raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 free range eggs
150 ml semi skimmed milk
10 tsp lemon curd
6 tsps demerara sugar
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas 6.
Line a deep muffin tin with paper cases.
Place the butter in a small pan and melt, allow to cool for a few minutes.
Wash the blueberries and pat dry, toss in a little flour.
Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar, blueberries and lemon zest.
Beat the eggs, add the milk and melted butter, mix together and pour into the flour mixture. Mix together quickly and lightly, the mixture should still look a bit lumpy.
Divide between the muffin cases, make a little indent and place a teaspoon of lemon curd on the top of each one, sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
Bake for approx 20 mins until risen and golden. Cool for at least a few minutes before enjoying.
BerryWorld Strawberry Pavlova – Easter
Impress the whole family with this show stopping dessert. Indulgent, light and topped with gorgeous strawberries and chocolate treats, this delicious recipe is perfect for Easter.
Serves: 8-10
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5 hours
You'll need:
4 large egg whites
200g caster sugar, plus 1 tsp for marinating
500ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar plus extra for dusting
400g strawberries
2 tsp rose water
What to do:
Pre-heat oven to 130℃
Using an electric whisk, whip the egg whites until they turn white and frothy. Gradually add a spoonful of sugar, whisking well in between each spoonful, until all the sugar is combined, and the whites are stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue onto a lined baking sheet and using a palette knife, spread into a circle. Build up the sides of the pavlova so when cooked, there will be a well in the centre for the cream.
Place on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hour. Slice the strawberries in half and mix with the rose water and 1tsp caster sugar and set aside.
Once cooked, the meringue should be crisp and slightly golden, but it will still be soft in the middle. Leave to cool on the tray, before carefully sliding onto the serving plate. Spread the cream in the middle of the pavlova and top with the marinated strawberries, grated chocolate or some other naughty treats before the final dusting of icing sugar.
Rustic British asparagus tartlets with goats' cheese, sun dried tomatoes and rocket
These work well as a healthy summer lunch, and the goats' cheese can be substituted with a good Montgomery cheddar or some rich blue cheese such as Roquefort. Its hugely versatile any topping can be added to it and the oven/grill can be used as a vehicle to make it wonderfully gooey/crispy
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
You'll need:
375g ready rolled puff pastry
1 tbsp flour
half a bundle (approx. 125g) British asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
3 tbsp (approx. 75g) sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped, plus 1 tbsp oil from the jar
125g goats' cheese, crumbled
2 handfuls of rocket
balsamic vinegar, to drizzle
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 230°C.
Cut the pastry into 4 rectangles and place onto a floured baking tray. Score the edge of each rectangle with a sharp knife.
Mix the asparagus with the sun dried tomatoes and a little of their oil. Divide the asparagus and tomatoes between the 4 pastry rectangles and top each with goat's cheese.
Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Toss the rocket in a little balsamic vinegar and place on top of the tartlets.
www.british-asparagus.co.uk