The daffodils are out, parading their annual magnificence, and I can’t help but be enchanted by the beauty of spring. While I’m not religious, I also can’t help but revel in the festivities of Easter. Eggs, lamb and hot cross buns are all traditional, but these fuss-free recipes give them a new lease of life. Buy in some flatbreads and pickles to serve alongside the meat, so you aren’t stuck in the kitchen for the whole day. After all, there are more important things to do – such as hunting for chocolate eggs!
Devilled eggs with tahini and za’atar
If you don’t want a fussy starter, devilled eggs are the perfect nibble for circulating with a drink, plus they are endlessly riffable – these are inspired by the flavours of the Middle East.
Prep 10 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 4
8 medium eggs, at room temperature
75g good-quality mayonnaise, or thick Greek yoghurt
30g tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
A good sprinkle of za’atar, to serve
Pickled Turkish chillies, to serve (optional)
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, then gently submerge the eggs and boil them for 10 minutes. Drain, then rinse under cold running water until cool. Carefully peel the eggs, then slice each one in half vertically.
Scoop out the yolks using a teaspoon, then push them through a fine sieve into a bowl (or just mash with a fork until smooth). Add the mayonnaise, tahini and lemon juice, season and stir to combine.
Use a teaspoon to spoon the egg yolk mixture back into the egg-white hollows (or transfer to a piping bag with a star nozzle, if you have one). Finish with a sprinkling of parsley and za’atar, and serve with pickled chillies to bring a little heat and to cut through the richness of the yolks, if you like.
Lamb skewers with zhoug (spicy coriander sauce)
While a leg or a shoulder of lamb is grand, I like the informality of skewers. This marinade also works well with pieces of chicken thigh.
Prep 15 min
Marinate 3 hr+
Cook 15 min
Makes 8
900g lamb neck, cut into 2cm pieces
1 red onion, peeled, cut into wedges and separated into petals
For the zhoug
1 tsp caraway seeds
½ tsp peppercorns
3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated
1 green chilli
1 bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
60ml olive oil
¾ tsp ground cardamom
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt, to taste
To make the zhoug, dry toast the caraway and peppercorns in a frying pan until fragrant, then coarsely crush in a mortar. Put the garlic, green chilli, coriander, parsley and a quarter of the olive oil in a food processor, blitz to a paste, then, with the motor running, drizzle in the remaining oil.
Scrape the paste into a bowl, stir in the toasted crushed spices and the cardamom, add the lemon juice and season to taste. Pour half the zhoug over the cubed lamb, toss to coat, cover and leave to marinate for at least three hours.
Thread the lamb and onion on to eight metal skewers, and put a griddle pan on a high heat. Once it’s smoking hot, lay on the skewers and cook, turning occasionally, for eight to 10 minutes, until charred all over and cooked through. Serve with the remaining zhoug.
Hot cross bun and lemon curd pudding
A great way to get pleasure from an excess of hot cross buns – this works especially well if your buns are slightly stale.
Prep 15 min
Soak 20 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 6
50g softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
6 hot cross buns, preferably a day old
50g marzipan
A pinch of sea salt
250g lemon curd
3 large eggs
125g caster sugar
250g whole milk
250g double cream
1 vanilla pod, split
1 tbsp flaked almonds
Ice-cream, cream or custard, to serve
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, and grease a baking dish with butter. Slice each hot cross bun horizontally into three. In a food processor, whizz the butter and marzipan with a pinch of sea salt, then spread liberally on one side of each slice of bun. Top with some lemon curd, then arrange curd side up in the greased dish, overlapping the bun slices as you go.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and airy. Heat the milk, cream and vanilla pod in a medium saucepan until simmering, then lift out the vanilla pod, take the pan off the heat and gradually whisk in the egg mixture to make a custard. Pour the custard all over the sliced buns, then leave it to soak in for about 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the flaked almonds on top, then put the baking dish in a roasting tin. Fill the tin with boiling water so it comes halfway up the sides of the dish, then bake for 35-40 minutes – cooking the pudding this way keeps it wonderfully moist, because the steam from the water stops it drying out. Serve with ice-cream, cream or more custard.
