Easter lamb three ways

Easter brings out the usual suspects. Hot cross buns make an appearance for Good Friday brunch. I used to do them for breakfast but brunch around 11 & then an earlyish tea works well.

In the evening we have the old standard, Smoked Fish Pie. I used to make this regularly as a family favourite. Now it only appears annually on the Good Friday table. Not because it is not delicious but because it is not an easy one to shrink down for two. However it is nice reheated the next day. This year I used smoked warehou & fresh monkfish. About 200g smoked & 150g fresh plus a handful of prawns.

This year for our Easter Sunday dinner we stayed with slow roasted shoulder of lamb (and why wouldn't you?), but we varied it a little. We went for Nigel Slater's slightly middle eastern version with mashed chickpeas. I served this with crispy roasted potatoes sprinkled with horopito, baby carrots & beetroot roasted in orange juice and balsamic vinegar, & steamed spinach. Yum.

The lamb made a second appearance in Shepherd's Pie the next day served with the spinach that wasn't used the previous day.

The following day I made a delicious slow cooked lamb stew with chops that I served atop the leftover mashed chickpeas enlivened with a little beef stock (only because I had just prepared a fresh batch & it was there). For two, use 2 large neck chops, trimmed of as much fat as possible. Sprinkle with salt & pepper & brown in a casserole on both sides. You'll need to do in batches if you are doing more, or use a much bigger casserole. Once one side is browned add an onion & a large clove of garlic, both thinly sliced. Push them into the gaps between the chops so that they lightly brown as well. Add some oregano, or thyme leaves, 1/4 cup red wine & a tsp sugar. Once the wine has bubbled up add three or four tomatoes peeled & sliced and a couple of waxy potatoes (I used desiree), unpeeled & thickly sliced. Season with salt & pepper, bring to the boil, turn right down & simmer 1 1/2-2 hours. Or do in the oven at about 120 if your stove top is busy as mine was with beef stock & bottling feijoas. I served the chop on a bed of the chickpea mash with the potatoes & oniony gravy on one side accompanied by steamed new season sprouts.

I am favouring a light grainy dish as a midweek meal. Try this. Saute a couple of sliced spring onions with a minced clove of garlic and a finely chopped chilli in olive oil. Stir through a handful of oregano leaves or a tsp of dried and a couple tbsp chipotle sauce. I had this in the fridge & wanted to use it up but when I haven't, I think I will use home made tomato sauce & maybe add a 2nd chilli. Or maybe sweet chilli sauce?

Add 1 cup quinoa & season. Cook a couple of minutes then add a drained tin of black beans (small kidney beans or pintos would work), 1 cup frozen corn, 2 chopped courgettes (the last 2 in the garden) & 2 cups vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, stir, cover, turn down & simmer about 15 minutes then uncover & cook until the water has mostly evaporated & the quinoa is soft. Serve with lime wedges. Cook generous portions because this may not look pretty but it is so delicious that if you haven't made enough there will be sad faces at your table.

I need to tell you about this new Over the Moon cheese - Southern Cross by Neil Willman. It's a blend of buffalo, ewe, goat & cow cheeses. It's at Moore Wilson but I'm not sure where in Auckland. Try Farro Fresh in Mt Wellington or Mairangi Bay.