Here are some delicious Easter recipe ideas that will hopefully give you some ‘food for thought’, and a very satisfying weekend, no matter how many people you are cooking for.
The four day Easter weekend is nearly upon us and I’m sure you will all be enjoying some great food and drink with loved ones, friends and family, come rain or shine!
The weather often dictates what we do and where we go in this country, so here are a few ideas to ensure you have something to look forward to, whatever the weather!
Easter Recipe Ideas No.1
Slow Cooker Lamb Shank in Guinness and Red Onion Gravy
If it’s cold and rainy – why not indulge in this succulent slow cooker Lamb Shank recipe, cooked in Guinness and red onion and served with creamy mashed potato and buttery veg (leek and cabbage mix plus carrots).
Season and sear the lamb in a hot non stick pan first then just put on low in the slow cooker or covered saucepan with a can of guinness, beef stock cube/pot, garlic and chinks of red onion and some fresh rosemary. Cook for 4-6 hours until it’s nearly falling off the bone. Use the juice at the end of cooking to make your gravy, removing any chunks of food with a sieve and then adding to a saucepan to thicken with some flour and water paste. Season to taste and add a little butter to finish off before pouring all over the tender lamb and mashed potato. Beautiful!
Easter Recipe Ideas No.2
BBQ Pork Flatbreads served with Homemade Coleslaw and Honey BBQ sauce
If it’s sunny and warm – hopefully the BBQ has been dusted down and raring to go. Try this BBQ Pork recipe served with fresh, homemade coleslaw (shredded cabbage and carrot with mayo, lemon juice and salt/pepper) and a honey BBQ sauce made from the meat juices (thickened with cornflour with added honey and brown sugar).
I’ve used the ‘meaty end’ of a rack of Pork ribs (ask your butcher for this – it’s basically the back end of the ribs, commonly known as belly but with the fat and skin trimmed and ribs left in), marinated for 24 hours, covered and slow cooked for 5 hours on 100°C (90°C fan oven) then finished on the BBQ and glazed with the BBQ sauce. Epic!
Also ask your butcher for any dry rub/marinades they may have, if you don’t have time to make it from scratch!
You can of course make your own dry or wet marinade using the following ingredients:
BBQ Sauce and BBQ Marinade Recipe
Onion, garlic, tomato paste/puree, salt pepper, brown sugar, honey, ground nutmeg, ground mace, ground allspice, smoked paprika, Worcester sauce, chilli flakes (optional) and olive oil – put it all in a blender and blend into a thick paste.
To make the dry rub, simply substitute any wet ingredients with dried versions such as onion powder and garlic powder and rather than use honey, just use brown sugar – simple!
Easter Recipe Ideas No.3
Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Spinach, Mushroom and Cream Cheese
If it’s bright, but too cold to be outside – why not try out this tender and very tasty stuffed chicken thigh recipe, with spinach, mushrooms and cream cheese filling and wrapped in crispy smoked bacon. Served with creamy mashed potato and buttered greens and proper chicken gravy.
Simply de-bone the chicken thighs so you’re left with one long, flat piece, season the inside then fill with cooked spinach, mushroom and cream cheese mix, roll up and surround with smoked streaky bacon. Cook in the oven for 30-45 minutes (depending on size) at 180°C to 200°C until the bacon is crispy. The chicken should be juicy and succulent inside.
Use the juices from cooking to make your gravy in a saucepan with added chicken stock, water and flour/water paste mix. Season to taste and add a knob of butter to finish before serving. Heavenly!
Easter Recipe Ideas No.4
Tandoori Style Chicken Tikka Wraps with Cucumber and Mint Raita and Tomato and Onion Salad
This recipe is perfect for sharing if you’ve got a few people over, day time or evening. Plus it’s healthy AND delicious…win win!
You can find the recipe for the Chicken Tikka here (or you can cheat and buy spice paste and add some plain yoghurt, but I didn’t tell you that!) and the rest is very simple. For the Raita just add some chopped cucumber, mint and lemon juice to plain yoghurt then just dice some onion and tomato for the salad and add some fresh chopped coriander. Serve with bread of your choice (wraps, chapatis, naan, pitta, flat bread) lemon wedges, and some extra chopped fresh chilli if you fancy a bit more spice. Everyone can tuck in to their hearts content – yum…it really is delicious!
And if these Easter recipe ideas don’t tickle your fancy, you can check out The Food Beaver’s other delicious and simple recipes here.
Have a great Easter weekend, wherever your tastebuds take you!
The Food Beaver.
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