Easter main courses: 4 family favourite recipes
Still deciding what you’re going to cook this Easter Sunday? Here are a few main course ideas to inspire you.
Image: Gressingham Duck
Due to the current circumstances we will all be staying in for Easter this year instead of eating out, so why not pull out all of the stops and cook something utterly delicious? We’ve put together a few main course recipes that are sure to be a hit with your loved ones.
Pineapple glazed ham
Image: Del Monte
This beautiful pineapple glazed ham is definitely an Easter showstopper.
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in or boneless lean ham
- 940ml Pineapple Juice
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 10 whole cloves
- 62g Dijon mustard
- 200g brown sugar
- 1x can of Del Monte Gold® Pineapple Slices
Method
- In a saucepan, combine the pineapple juice and garlic. Bring to a boil and then lower to medium-low for approximately 25 minutes.Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With a knife, cut 10 slits along the ham’s surface and insert the cloves. Place the ham in a baking pan In a small bowl, combine the mustard and brown sugar. Mix well.
- In a small bowl, combine the mustard and brown sugar. Mix well. Brush the mixture all over the top of the ham. Place the Del Monte Gold® pineapple rings along the top of the pineapple and secure with toothpicks. Pour the pineapple juice mixture into the pan and place in the oven.
- Cook the ham about 20 to 30 minutes per pound. Let ham cool for 15 minutes. Remove pineapple slices and put in serving bowl before slicing.
Wensleydale, apple chutney & spinach tartlet
Image: Wensleydale Creamery
Whether you and your family are vegeterians or not, this tartlet is packed full of flavour.
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 200g Yorkshire Wensleydale
- 1 packet ready roll puff pastry
- 1 jar apple chutney
- 5 tablespoons walnut pieces
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
Method
- Roll the pastry into a large rectangle and place onto a lightly oiled tray. Prick the pastry with a fork leaving a neat border around the outside of the tart. Gently go around the border with a knife creating a slight indentation to frame the tart.
- Brush the border of the puff pastry with beaten egg wash and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C until golden and crisp.
- Remove from the oven and spoon the whole jar of apple chutney into the centre of the pastry, spreading to the edges to create a neat base for the tart.
- Place the spinach into a frying pan with a knob of butter and wilt for a few moments until tender, then add the walnut pieces.
- Place the spinach and walnuts on the top of the apple chutney taking care to leave the border of the pastry clean.
- Return the tart to the oven and heat for a further 6 minutes. Finally, take your Yorkshire Wensleydale and crumble it over the top, then sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.
Slow cooked lamb shoulder with shallots
Image: UK Shallots
This gorgeous slow cooked shoulder of lamb is melt in the mouth and is perfect for an Easter feast.
Ingredients
- 1 boneless shoulder of lamb
- 1 head of garlic
- 1⁄2 bunch of rosemary
- 2 peeled carrots
- 50ml olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 400g whole round peeled shallots
- 20g tomato puree
- Pinch of flour
- 1 litre of chicken stock
Method
- Go over the joint and remove any large fat deposits or unsightly skin. Stab the joint several times over with the tip of a small sharp knife and insert one 1⁄2 clove of garlic per incision. Also stick in a little sprig of rosemary per incision to enhance the flavour.
- Place the shoulder on the lamb bones with the 2 carrots cut just in half, drizzle over the olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Place in the oven at 160c for 4-5 hours, covering with a sheet of foil for the first 3 hours.
- With one hour to go, throw in the peeled shallots and remove the foil. When the lamb is cooked and the shallots are also cooked, remove everything from the tray and allow to rest somewhere warm.
- Add the tomato puree and flour to the cooking tray and place back on the stove to cook slightly. Then add the stock and bring to the boil.
- Strain through a very fine sieve into a clean pan and bring back to the boil, season if required.
- Carve the lamb onto a warm serving dish, place the shallots around and put the gravy in a sauce boat. Serve with green vegetables and some potatoes.
Duck breast, roast squash and pearl barley risotto
Image: Gressingham Duck
If you fancy something a little lighter for Easter lunch, opt for this succulent duck and pearl barley risotto.
Ingredients
- Pack of 2 Gressingham duck breasts
- 1⁄2 red onion, sliced
- 350g packet of diced butternut squash
- 125g pearl barley, cooked in boiling water for 40 minutes and drained
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 glass white wine
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 50g butter
- 1⁄2 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
- 4 sage leaves, finely sliced
Method
- Score the fat on the duck breasts with a sharp knife. Heat a pan, and sprinkle in a fine layer of salt (no oil), then add the duck breasts skin side down and turn down the heat to let the fat slowly render out until the skin is golden and crispy.
- Fry the butternut squash in the olive oil on a low heat until it starts to soften, then add the sliced onion and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes on a low heat until it softens.
- When the skin is crispy, drain the excess fat and place it in the oven at 180°C and cook for 6 minutes. Add the white wine and chicken stock to the squash, onion and garlic and bring to the boil, then tip in the cooked pearl barley and heat through until the liquid has reduced.
- In a separate pan heat the butter, sage and chilli until melted.
- Season the squash risotto to taste and then serve into bowls, carve the duck breast and place on top and drizzle the dish with the sage and chilli butter.
What are you going to cook this bank holiday weekend? Let us know by tweeting us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.