Bye bye, Easter break…
We’re living in strange times. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, as many of us have been instructed to stay indoors and forego travelling for the time being. The result? Many of our holidays over the long weekend have now been put on hold.
Of course, this isn’t music to anybody’s ears. That’s why we at Historic Hotels of Europe have come together to bring you what we think are some of the best, internationally-inspired Easter recipes – so that you can still experience the flavours of the world while your suitcase is stowed away. Which ones will you try?
1. “Kalitsounia” – Cheese Pies
Start off your Easter buffet with these delicious fried pies, which hail from sunny Greece.
Recommended By: Avli Lounge Apartments – Crete
Ingredients:
For the dough:
● 375g plain flour10g baking powder
● 125g sugar
● 2 eggs
● 65ml olive oil
● 65ml milk
● ½ tsp vanilla extract
● Cinnamon, for dusting
For the filling:
● 500g mizithra or ricotta cheese, well drained
● 2 tbsp sugar
● 1 egg
How to make:
Note: For this recipe, make sure your cheese has been drained for 2 – 3 days before you start cooking.
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. For the filling – melt the cheese in a saucepan, stirring continuously, and then mix in the sugar and egg. Put this to one side.
3. It’s dough time! In a large bowl, combine your olive oil, sugar, 1 egg, milk and vanilla extract.
4. Gradually, add the flour and baking powder, until the dough is no longer sticky.
5. On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s about 2mm thick.
6. With a cup or a glass (ideally, about 8 – 9cm wide) cut your dough into circles.
7. Add a tablespoon of cheese filling into the centre of each dough circle. Spread it slightly.
8. Curl the edges of the dough inwards to create “pleats”. Do this until there are about 7 – 8 pleats on each dough circle.
9. Place your dough circles on a baking sheet, about 3cm apart to allow room for rising in the oven.
10. Beat your other egg in a bowl, and brush over your dough circles. Then, sprinkle on some cinnamon.
11. Bake on a high shelf in your preheated oven for about 15 minutes, then move to a lower shelf for a further 10 minutes.
12. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve.
2. Carrot Cake
Recommended By: Twr y Felin Hotel – Wales
Ingredients:
For the cake:
● 400g plain flour
● 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
● 550g sugar
● 5 eggs
● 450ml vegetable oil
● 525g carrots, grated
● 150g shelled walnuts, chopped
● 2½ tsp ground cinnamon
● ½ tsp salt
For the icing:
● 250g cream cheese
● 200g caster sugar
● 150g butter, softened
How to make:
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
2. Grease and line a medium-sized cake tin.
3. Mix all of the carrot cake ingredients together – except for the carrot and walnuts – in a large bowl, until well combined.
4. Stir in the carrots and walnuts.
5. Spoon the mixture into your cake tin and spread evenly. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. To test if the cake is cooked, skewer the middle – if the skewer comes out clean, it’s ready – if not, leave for a little longer.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then ease the cake out of the tin and put aside on a cooling rack.
7. Beat all the icing ingredients together in a separate bowl until fluffy. Spread the icing over the cooled cake with a palette knife. Enjoy!
3. Connemara Lamb with a Herb and Mustard Crust
Ready for a challenge? Take on this delicious dish.
Recommended By: Renvyle House – Ireland
Ingredients:
For the lamb:
● 2 racks of lamb, trimmed
● Salt and pepper, to garnish
● Rosemary, as required
● 2 tbsp dijon mustard
For the herb and apricot stuffing:
● 75 – 100g butter
● 2 shallots
● 100g mixed fresh herbs
● 50g dried apricots
● 100g white breadcrumbs
For the ratatouille:
● ½ aubergine
● 2 peppers, deseeded
● 2 courgettes
● 6 mushrooms
● 1 garlic clove
● 1 tbsp olive oil
● 2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
For the rosemary jus:
● 175ml red wine
● Rosemary, as required
● 1 tsp redcurrant jelly
● 25g butter
How to make:
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C.
2. Heat a large griddle pan, and season the lamb with salt and pepper. Seal the lamb on both sides in the pan, add a little rosemary and place in a roasting tin.
3. Cook for 18 – 20 minutes (or until it’s cooked how you like it).
4. On to the stuffing. Melt the butter in a pot and add the remaining ingredients – except for the butter – and stir thoroughly. Cook for about 3 minutes, then mix in most of the breadcrumbs.
5. Now that’s ready, start the ratatouille. Finely dice all of the vegetables, and fry in oil with the crushed garlic and tomatoes for 5 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
6. Remove the lamb from the oven and set aside.
7. After a breather, it’s time for the rosemary jus. Deglaze the pan you’ve cooked the lamb in with red wine and a pinch of chopped rosemary. Add the redcurrant jelly and combine with the butter.
8. Coat the outside of the lamb with a mixture of mustard, your remaining breadcrumbs and the rest of the mixed herbs. Grill for 2 minutes to crispen and brown. Plate everything up and serve… you’re bound to see some impressed faces!
4. Traditional Polish Easter Cake
This Easter recipe balances zesty flavours with a lovely, sugary touch.
Recommended By: Dwor Sierkaow – Poland
Ingredients:
For the cake:
● 160g wheat cake flour
● 90g potato flour
● 1 tsp baking powder
● 4 large eggs
● 200g sugar
● 200g butter
● ½ lemon
● 1 tangerine
● 2 tbsp vanilla sugar
● For greasing: 1 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp almonds
For the icing:
● 200g powdered sugar
● 4 tbsp lemon juice
How to make:
Note: Before you start, make sure to remove your eggs from the fridge so that they can reach room temperature.
1. Preheat your oven to 170°C.
2. Spread 1 tbsp of butter along with 3 tbsp almonds into your cake tin.
3. In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Add the zest and juices from your lemon and tangerine, and stir thoroughly.
4. In a larger bowl, beat your eggs and sugar together until it’s light, thick and fluffy. Stir in your vanilla sugar.
5. In a second bowl, sift your wheat and potato flour together. Add the baking powder and mix well.
6. Combine your flour and egg mixtures, and stir until you’ve created a dough.
7. Add your butter and zest mix into the dough, and combine. It should have the texture of a thick pudding.
8. Pour the cake mix into your prepared cake mould, until it’s about two thirds full.
9. Bake for 45 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it’s cooked through. Once it’s ready, set aside to cool.
10. For the lemon icing, mix powdered sugar with slightly heated lemon juice. Pour over your Easter cake, and enjoy!
5. Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Butter and Sage
There’s nothing quite like homemade pasta…
Recommended By: Castello di Gargonza – Italy
Ingredients:
For the pasta:
● 200g plain flour
● 2 large eggs
For the filling:
● 100g sheep’s milk ricotta
● 200g spinach
● Garlic cloves, for frying
● Oil, for frying
● Nutmeg
● Salt and pepper
● Parmigiano
For the sauce:
● 100g butter
● Sage
How to make:
1. Mix together your pasta ingredients in a bowl, and work with your hands until the dough feels elastic.
2. Cover your bowl with cling film, and leave to rest for 1 hour.
3. Prepare the filling. Cook the spinach in a pan with a little olive oil and garlic – make sure to throw the cloves away afterwards.
3. Drain and squeeze the cooked spinach, before cutting it finely. Combine with the ricotta, salt, pepper, nutmeg and parmesan in a bowl.
4. Once your pasta dough has risen, roll it out on a floured surface until it’s as fine as possible. You want to be able to see your hand through the dough.
5. Cut your pasta into square strips. Brush water lightly over half of the squares. For the other half, create a small hollow to put the filling in.
7. Apply one watered square to one filling square, until all the squares have been combined. For a nicer look, shape your ravioli with a pasta cutter.
8. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the ravioli and cook for 4 minutes.
9. Melt 100g butter. Stir in the sage, and sauté over the ravioli. Buon Apetito!
Got an Easter recipe of your own that you’d like us to know about? Share it with us over on Facebook or Twitter.
