Lamb and chocolate are the Easter foods which have achieved a similar sacramental status to those of the Christmas turkey and pudding. They, and cooking for the family over a relaxed holiday weekend, are the great staples of the Easter holiday, so today we offer a selection of recipes which suit those demands.
But, rather than adopting the standards of roast leg of lamb and chocolate eggs, we have adapted the great staples to make them more contemporary. A shoulder of lamb is first marinated with spicy ingredients and then slowly baked. And our chocolate recipe is nothing less than a modern classic, a wholly extraordinary invention from the brilliant chef Noel McMeel.
However, if your first reaction on looking at the procedures required to make the meal is to think that the recipes are too complicated, don't let that impression put you off. It might take some time to prepare the ingredients, but the procedure does not require very much work on your part. The lamb needs to marinate, but then takes little work to prepare and cook. The chickpeas, once soaked, can be left on the stove to simmer away. The gravy, again, takes time, but no effort. And the chocolate cake can be put together very quickly.
In fact, this is a perfect holiday meal because it needs very little fussing over, it requires little last-minute finishing, and it is great buffet food for family and friends. Above all, it is utterly delicious. And, like many special occasion meals, everything seems to taste even better the next day.
Israeli Avocado and Citrus Salad
Serving a citrus salad as a starter is something I associate very much with my parents' generation, so it is just perfect for a gathering of the clan. This is a classic of the genre, very tart thanks to the grapefruit and the lemon juice, and if you want it slightly milder, then consider adding less than an entire grapefruit. The recipe is featured in Claudia Roden's book, Mediterranean Cookery.
Serves 4-6
juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 ripe but firm avocado pears
1 orange
1 grapefruit
fresh mint leaves
Beat the lemon, oil, salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Peel the avocados, cut them in half and remove the stones, then slice them and turn them in the dressing. Peel the orange and grapefruit, removing all the pith, and cut the flesh into pieces. Toss the fruits in the dressing. Garnish with the mint leaves.
Slow-Baked Shoulder of Lamb
This recipe comes from The Ivy - The Restaurant And Its Recipes, a smashing book which appeared last year describing the work of the famous London restaurant. The book is most notable for its design by Suzi Godson, and the terrific photography by Harriet Logan and Henry Bourne. But once you get past drooling at the pictures, the food is very good also. So here is a radically different take on the Easter lamb dish. Serving the lamb with a chickpea relish, as the book suggests, makes this great buffet and party food, because can slice the lamb, pile the chickpeas into a big bowl, and let everyone help themselves. As the flavours of both dishes are so punchy, I would only serve plain steamed potatoes with this, and maybe some steamed spinach as a green vegetable. The gravy is a key element, and deserves close attention to get it right. If you want to cook the lamb for tomorrow's lunch, then marinating it for 24 hours is quite sufficient to impart the flavours.
Ingredients:
2 x 2-2.5 kg lamb shoulder, boned
1 litre dark meat stock (see below)
The Marinade:
10 cloves garlic
150 g fresh root ginger, peeled and crushed
3 medium chillies, finely chopped
3 tbsp ground cumin
75 ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
grated zest of 2 lemons
Two days before you plan to serve the lamb, blend together the ingredients for the marinade and rub it into the lamb. Leave everything in a dish, covered with clingfilm, in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 150C/gas mark 2. Lightly season the lamb with salt, wrap it in foil and bake for four to four-and-a-half hours.
Remove the lamb from the foil and place it on a serving dish. Strain the juices into a saucepan and add the dark meat stock. Reduce the mixture by half, or until it thickens, then strain it through a fine-meshed sieve. Some warmed chickpea relish makes an excellent accompaniment to the lamb.
Chickpea Relish
When you are cooking chickpeas or any other pulses, always add a piece of kombu - a type of seaweed - to the pot. It helps to soften the pulses, and to cook them uniformly. Kombu can be bought in any wholefood store. Tinned chickpeas are acceptable if you don't want the palaver of soaking them overnight.
Ingredients:
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small red mild chilli, seeded and finely chopped
30 g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
half teaspoon ground cumin
100 ml extra-virgin olive oil
150 g good-quality dried chick- peas, soaked for 24 hours and cooked until soft, or 280 g canned chick-peas, washed well
30 g tomato pure
60 g canned chopped tomatoes
100 ml water half lemon, seeds removed
salt and freshly ground pepper
10 g fresh mint leaves, chopped
15 g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Fry the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger and cumin slowly in the olive oil until they are soft. Add the chickpeas, tomato pure, chopped tomatoes, water and the half lemon (in one piece). Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently with a lid on for 30-40 minutes. Check the mixture from time to time and add a little more water if it seems too dry. When it is cooked, the relish will have a nice red oily appearance. Remove the half lemon. Add the mint and coriander to the relish and remove the pan from the heat. Serve it at room temperature.
Dark Meat Stock
Make this according to whatever weight of bones you have to hand, and diminish the volume of all the other ingredients appropriately. Then, use whatever volume of stock you need to make the gravy, and freeze the rest: dark meat stock is a very useful ally in the kitchen.
2 kg beef, veal, lamb or chicken bones, chopped
3 medium onions, peeled and chopped
5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small head celery, chopped
2 leeks, trimmed, washed and chopped
half bulb of garlic, roughly chopped
50 g tomato pure
20 black peppercorns
10 g thyme
1 bay leaf
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Wash the bones in cold water to remove any blood. Then roast them with the vegetables for about 15-20 minutes until they are lightly coloured, giving them a good turn every so often.
When everything is a nice golden brown colour, add the tomato pure and stir well. Return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes. Put the bones and vegetables into a large pot, cover them with water and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to the boil, skim off any scum that forms and simmer for three to four hours. During cooking the stock will need topping up with water to keep the ingredients covered, and skimming occasionally.
Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and remove any fat with a ladle. Check its strength and reduce it if necessary.
Trompets Warm Chocolate Cake
Noel McMeel's restaurant, Trompets, in Magherafelt, Co Derry, is already famous for the incredible white chocolate soup which is one of its treasured desserts, and attracts people from many miles around. Here is another dessert masterpiece from the restaurant, created as the perfect partner for Elysium Black Muscat dessert wine, made in California by Andrew Quady. In Trompets, they serve this on a plate with some mature Cashel Blue cheese. The trio of chocolate, blue cheese and sweet wine in combination are a thrill, and one which I would suggest you try. This is a great chocolate cake.
1 lb high-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 oz high-quality unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
half cup, plus 2 tablespoons, strong brewed coffee
6 large eggs, at room temperature
quarter cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
Pre-heat the oven to 325F. Lightly butter the inside of a 10inch round cake tin. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper.
In the top part of a double boiler or in a large metal bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering, not boiling, water, melt the bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates with the coffee.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar. Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering, not boiling water, and whisk until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar is dissolved, about two minutes. Rub a little of the mixture between your thumb and finger to test it.
Attach the bowl to the mixer and beat at medium high speed until light and almost tripled in volume, about three minutes. Reduce the speed to medium low and continue beating for another two minutes. Set aside.
In a chilled bowl, beat the cream just past the soft peak stage, until it "dollops" nicely and holds its shape when dropped from a spoon onto a plate. If the whipped cream is too soft, the cake will be airy. If too firm the cake will be dry.
Fold a quarter of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. Fold this lightened chocolate mixture back into the remaining egg mixture. Fold in the whipped cream. Transfer to the prepared pan, smooth the top, and tap the pan lightly on the work surface a few times to settle out any air pockets.
Place the pan in a larger baking pan and put into the oven. Add enough hot water to the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes. Open the oven door for 30 seconds to release excess moisture that builds up in the oven. Continue baking until the centre of the cake feels somewhat firm when pressed lightly with your fingers, another 20-30 minutes. Let the cake cool in the turned off oven for 2 hours.
Run a warm knife around the inside of the pan, and carefully unmould the cake on to a 10-inch cardboard round. Peel off the parchment paper. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled and firm, at least four hours or overnight.
Remove the cake from the freezer or refrigerator and allow it to return to room temperature.
At least one hour before serving the cake, pre-heat the oven to its lowest setting. Place the plastic wrapped cake on a baking sheet. Transfer it to the oven and let the cake slowly warm through, at least 30 minutes and up to three hours. It will remain perfectly fine in the oven and will be ready when needed.
Unwrap the cake and sift with cocoa powder.