Easy Easter Menu

Well, it’s almost Easter and there are some special foods this time of year, the most famous are Hot Cross Buns. The Hot Cross Bun represents the 4 seasons, but Christians took the cross element from this Pagan food changing the meaning to the cross Jesus was crucified upon.

Simnel Cake is also popular during Easter. Simnel Cake is a rich fruit-cake topped with Marzipan. 11 Marzipan ball are placed on top to represent Jesus’ 11 deciples. There is also a layer of Marzipan in the centre. It is traditionally eaten on Mothering Sunday in the U.K. which is always on the middle Sunday of Lent. Simnel Cakes were first made by servant girls and maids to take home to their mothers on Mothering Sunday.

Pretzels are favoured in Italy during Easter, Russia eat Blini’s which are topped with Anchovies and a mixture of soft cream, cream, orange peel (Paska) and dried fruit.

In Greece, a cake made from Oranges and Almonds is consumed, eaten with a spicy orange sauce over the top. Lamb Soup can be also eaten at breakfast time… Meanwhile in Ethiopia, Easter breakfast to celebrate the end of Lent, is often ‘Dabo’ sour-dough bread. It is traditional that the bread is cut by a priest or by the head man in the family. The main Easter meal is eaten in the afternoon. The meal normally consists of a sour dough pancake called ‘Injera’ and it is eaten with a mutton or lamb stew called ‘Beg Wot’.

And of course, there’s always Easter Eggs if you like.

Check out our Easy Easter Menu below…

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Easter Hot Cross Bun

By No machine-readable author provided. Edward assumed (based on copyright claims). – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=704380

Simnel Cake

Ten-Minute Soup

Ingredients – Serves 4-6

10 min soup
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 500ml/18fl oz chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
  • 150ml/5fl oz double cream
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3–4 tsp basil pesto, to serve

Method

  1. Set a large, deep pan over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Add the garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds, or until it just starts to colour.
  2. Add the sun-dried and tinned tomatoes, stock and sugar and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat and, using a hand blender, blend the soup in the pan. Stir in the milk and cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper before heating through on the hob.
  4. Serve hot with ½ teaspoon basil pesto swirled on the top of each bowl of soup.

Recipe Tips

  • If covered and chilled in the fridge, this dish can be made up to 3 days ahead.
  • Without the milk and cream, and if in a freezer proof bag or container, this dish freezes very well. Defrost and reheat until piping hot, then stir in the milk and cream before serving.
  • The sugar brings out the flavour of the tomatoes and helps balance their acidity – sometimes they can be a little bitter.
  • The basil pesto adds a lovely flavour, but this soup is still very good without it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ten-minute_tomato_soup_10252

Roast loin of lamb, peas, lettuce and bacon

Ingredients – Serves 4-6

Loin
  • 2 loins of lamb, boned, weighing 600g/1lb 4oz in total
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 500ml/1lb 2fl oz lamb stock
  • 110g/4oz peas, cooked
  • 50g/2oz butter
  • 1 Little Gem lettuce, shredded
  • 1 sprig mint

Method

  1. For the lamb, preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
  2. Season the lamb well with salt and pepper.
  3. Place a heavy-based, oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat. When it is hot, add one tablespoon of the vegetable oil.
  4. Put the lamb into the pan and colour it all over, turning it so that all sides brown evenly. Don’t rush this, the dish will have much more flavour and a deeper colour if you take your time.
  5. Transfer the lamb, in the frying pan, to the oven, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
  6. Remove the lamb from the oven, take it out of the frying pan and set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes.
  7. In another frying pan over a medium heat, add the remaining vegetable oil and fry the bacon until crisp and golden-brown.
  8. Add the chopped onion and cook for a further two minutes. Then pour over the lamb stock to cover the bacon and onion and bring to the boil.
  9. Add the peas, butter, the lettuce and the mint, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a minute or two until the lettuce is cooked.
  10. To serve, slice the lamb, pour the pea, bacon and pesto mixture into a large bowl or individual serving dishes, and arrange the lamb slices on top.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roast_loin_of_lamb_peas_19776

Hot cross bun bread and butter pudding

Ingredients – Serves 4-6

pudding
  • 6 free-range egg yolks
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 150g/5oz caster sugar
  • 300ml/½ pint whole milk
  • 300ml/½ pint double cream
  • 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out
  • 75g/2½oz butter
  • 8 ready-made hot cross buns, halved
  • 25g/1oz sultanas
  • 25g/1oz raisins
  • 25g/1oz demerara sugar

Method

  1. For the custard, whisk the egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar together in a bowl.
  2. Place the milk, cream and the vanilla pod and seeds into a pan over a low heat and slowly bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla pod.
  3. Pour the milk and cream onto the egg mixture and whisk well.
  4. Butter the hot cross buns, then cut into quarters.
  5. Place a layer of the hot cross buns into a 22cm/9in x 10cm/4in, 5cm/2in deep ovenproof dish.
  6. Sprinkle with some sultanas and raisins and the demerara sugar. Repeat the layers and finish with a final layer of buns.
  7. Pour the custard over the buns and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
  8. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
  9. Place the dish into a deep roasting tray and add enough water to the tray to come a third of the way up the dish (this is a bain-marie). Cover with foil.
  10. Carefully place the pudding and bain-marie into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the custard has set. Remove the foil for the final five minutes of cooking to brown the top.
  11. Serve the pudding with cream or mascarpone.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/hotcrossbunandbakedc_85970

So, equipped with this menu and ideas for Easter here at URBAN KITCHENS we would like to wish you all a very enjoyable Easter break whatever you choose to do.

Our opening times are as follows:

  • Good Friday – 11am till 4pm
  • Easter Saturday – 10am till 5pm
  • Closed Easter Sunday
  • Easter Monday – 11am till 4pm

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