GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - Easter is not only a religious festival and cultural holiday but also a time for friends and family to get together and share a memorable lunch or dinner.
We asked the chefs at Capsicum Culinary Studio, South Africa’s largest culinary school with six campuses across the country, to share their favourite Easter recipes.
Here’s what they will be cooking for Easter.
Hot Cross Buns
What would Easter be without the ubiquitous hot cross bun? This recipe produces buns that are full of flavour and packed with dried fruit and spices just as hot cross buns should be.
Ingredients for the buns
- 320ml milk
- 50g butter
- 500g bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 75g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 7g sachet yeast
- 1 egg, beaten
- 75g sultanas
- 50g mixed peel
- zest 1 orange
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Ingredients for the cross
- 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Ingredients for the glaze
- 3 tbsp smooth apricot jam
Method
Bring 300ml of the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool. Meanwhile place the bread flour, salt, caster sugar and yeast into a bowl and mix until all ingredients are combined. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk and butter mixture then add the beaten egg.
Mix well with a wooden spoon, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.
Tip dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size.
With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest and cinnamon and knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Cover and leave to rise for a further hour or until doubled in size.
Divide the dough into 15 equal pieces and roll each piece into ball on a lightly floured surface. Arrange the balls across two baking trays lined with baking paper, leaving enough space for them to expand.
Cover with a clean tea towel to prove for 60 minutes.
Heat oven to 220ºC.
Mix 75g plain flour with 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross. (Tip - add the water 1 tbsp at a time until you have a thick paste.) Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle and pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.
Gently heat 3 tbsp of smooth apricot jam and while still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.
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Asparagus & Tomato Tartlets
These little tartlets are absolutely more-ish and make the perfect starter for an Easter dinner or they can be served as a light lunch with a side salad.
Ingredients
- 2 rolls shortcrust pastry
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 4cm lengths
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halves
- 4 eggs
- 120g ricotta cheese
- 25g parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbs rocket, chopped
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly spray 6 x 10cm-diameter fluted tart tins with oil. Cut six circles from the pastry and place the circles in the greased tins. Press to fit and trim off the excess. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge and place the tins on a large baking tray. Steam the asparagus for 2-3 minutes until tender, then drain and refresh under cold water (to retain colour).
Divide the asparagus between each pastry base and top with tomatoes, cut side up. Whisk the eggs, ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest and chives in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and pour over the asparagus and tomato. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is set.
Serve with rocket leaves.
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Pickled Fish
An Easter tradition, this recipe is courtesy Jacqueline Naicker, head of Capsicum Culinary Studio’s Boksburg campus
Ingredients
- 2 kg white fish fillets
- 6 large onions, sliced
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 3-4 tbsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp apricot jam (optional)
- 1 tbsp black pepper corns
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp roasted masala
- 1 tbsp corn flour, mixed with 3 tbsp water
- Vegetable oil for frying
Method
Dust the fish with the flour and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil and shallow fry the fish for about 2 minutes on each side. Set aside and allow excess oil to drain off. In a large pot, heat the vinegar and water, then add the onions, sugar, salt, spices, apricot jam (if using) and bay leaves and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat.
Add the corn flour mixture and stir well. Place the fish and sauce mixture in a large heat proof dish and ensure sauce covers all the fish. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight or for a few days to give the fish a chance to absorb the spices.
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Roast Leg of Lamb
This roast leg of lamb, seasoned with rosemary, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and garlic, makes for the perfect Easter lunch or dinner that will have family and friends lining up for seconds.
Ingredients
- 1.8kg trimmed lamb leg, boneless, rolled and tied
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp kosher salt, more or less to taste
- fresh ground black pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 190ºC. Line a roasting pan with aluminium foil and place a rack in the pan.
Combine crushed garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper, mix well and rub mixture all over lamb. Roll the lamb, using string to tie it together, and tuck a few sprigs of rosemary under the string. Roast on the rack for 70 minutes until medium-rare (60ºC on a meat thermometer).
Adjust timing depending on the size of the roast. Remove, cover in foil and let it rest on a cutting board for 10-15 minutes. Remove string, slice and serve with Hasselback potatoes and your favourite veggies.
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Hasselback Potatoes
The perfect accompaniment for that roast lamb.
Ingredients
- 1.5kg medium-sized floury potatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- a few sprigs of rosemary
- sea salt flakes
Method
Heat the oven to 200ºC. Use a metal skewer and insert through the back of one of the flatter sides of the potato. Place on a chopping board, skewer-side down, and slice through the potato using a very sharp knife to make slices a few millimetres apart.
Remove the skewer and repeat with the remaining potatoes. Put the potatoes cut side up on a shallow baking tray and drizzle over the oil. Rub each potato with your hands to coat well in the oil, getting some in between the slices.
Toss in the bashed garlic, rosemary, and season well. Roast for 50 -60 minutes or until the potatoes are tender throughout and the tops are golden and crisp. Baste with any oil in the pan halfway cooking to get extra crisp potatoes. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese for an extra tangy flavour.
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Chocolate Babka
A fluffy and sweet bread with chocolate swirled through it, Babka can be served for breakfast, as a teatime treat or for a dessert after an Easter lunch or dinner. Polish in origin, the word ‘babka’ means grandmother.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 140g unsalted butter, room temperature
For the Filling:
- 113g unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 225g dark chocolate, chopped
- ¾ cup icing sugar
- ? cup unsweetened cocoa powder
For the Syrup:
- ? cup granulated sugar
- ? cup water
Method
To make the dough, place the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl or a stand mixer. Add the eggs, milk, and salt and mix on low speed using the dough hook attachment until combined, and a dough starts to form (about 2 minutes). Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, waiting for it to be incorporated before adding the next spoonful.
Once all the butter has been added, continue kneading until a smooth elastic dough forms (about 10 minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. The dough should be sticky and very stretchy. Transfer to a large, oiled bowl then cover and chill overnight.
To make the filling, combine the butter and cream in a small saucepan and heat until butter is melted, and the mixture is steaming. Add the chocolate and stir until melted, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Transfer to a bowl and let cool until thickened to a spreadable consistency (about 60 minutes).
Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf pans then line them with baking paper. On a lightly floured surface, divide the chilled dough in half. Gently roll each half into 30cm x 40cm rectangles. Spread half of the filling on each rectangle all the way to the edge on three sides, leaving a 2½cm border on one short side.
Starting at the short side opposite the border, roll the dough into a tight coil, and pinch the seam to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut each rectangle in half lengthwise. Position each half parallel to each other with the cut sides facing up. Twist the halves together, keeping the cut sides facing up, and tuck the ends under. Gently place in the prepared loaf pans, loosely cover and let them rise in a warm place for 1½ to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Bake the loaves for 40 minutes until golden brown or a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. While the babkas are baking, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat.
Brush the loaves with the syrup as soon as they come out of the oven, then let the babkas cool for 30 minutes in the pans. Serve warm.
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