Recipe: Create an Easter Feast

For a whole weekend, we ate wonderful food prepared and served by the whole community. I loved the Greek Easter bread they served and have included a recipe for that here, plus a tasty side salad. Devilled eggs are an old favourite, and there’s a recipe for a dairy-free chocolate pudding so that vegans can enjoy some of the chocolaty fun of Easter too! Check out the recipe websites for more tasty treats to enjoy all year round.

MAROULOSALATA: COS LETTUCE SALAD (from www.greekfood.about.com)

In Greek: ?????????????, pronounced mah-roo-lo-sah-LAH-tah

Cos lettuce (also known as Romaine, Roman, and Manchester lettuce) is the only kind used for this favourite, easy salad with a glorious taste.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

2 heads of Cos (Romaine) lettuce 8-10 spring onions, cleaned and finely chopped (bulb and stalk) 1/3 cup of fresh dill, finely chopped (or 2 tablespoons of dried) 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup of high quality red wine vinegar 1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed Greek oregano (rigani) pinch of freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon of sea salt

Preparation:

Clean the lettuce, removing the stem and discarding damaged leaves. Separate and rinse leaves individually to remove any soil and debris. Pat dry with paper towels. Shred the lettuce using a food processor or by hand (cutting as thinly as possible). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Whisk together the oil and vinegar, add oregano, salt, and pepper (if using dried dill, add it now to the dressing).

In a salad bowl, combine lettuce, fresh dill, and spring onions. Toss with dressing and serve cold or at room temperature.

Yield: serves 8

Preparation tip:

This salad should be light and crunchy. The amount of dressing needed will depend on the size of the heads of lettuce, so don’t add it all at once. Add half or three-quarters, toss, and keep adding until the dressing coats the salad ingredients but doesn’t swamp them.

GREEK EASTER BREAD (TSOUREKI) (from www.greekfood.about.com)

Tsoureki (tsoo-REH-kee) is the traditional bread of Greek Easter. Tsoureki is a rich yeast bread flavored with orange and a delightful spice called Mahlab (also called Mahlepi) that is ground from the pits of wild cherries. You can find Mahlab online or at ethnic grocery stores specializing in Greek or Middle Eastern products.

Every family has their own version of this special recipe. This version has been enjoyed by my family for many, many years.

Prep Time: 3 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 4 hours
Yield: 4 braided loaves

Ingredients:

8 cups all purpose flour (plus more for counter) 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed (not hot) 3 envelopes dry yeast 1 2/3 cup unsalted butter (3 sticks plus 3 tbsp.) 1 2/3 cup sugar zest of one orange zest of one lemon 1 tbsp. Mahlab (Mahlepi) 5 eggs, lightly beaten 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water Whole sesame seeds for sprinkling 1 red egg (optional)

Preparation:

Sift the flour with the salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. (Be sure it is lukewarm, not hot). Add 1/2 cup of the flour and 1 tbsp. sugar to the mixture. Cover tightly and set aside until it becomes bubbly and foamy.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over very low heat. Stir in the sugar, orange zest, lemon zest, and mahlab. Remove from heat and stir in the beaten eggs. Cool slightly.

Add the yeast mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add in the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Slowly incorporate the flour until the mixture forms a smooth, wet dough.

Cover the bowl and let rise until it is about double in size – about 2 hours in a warm place.

Turn the dough out on to a well-floured counter and punch down. You will need to keep sprinkling the dough with flour to keep it from sticking. It will remain a loose, wet dough.

Separate the dough into four equal parts. Shape into rounds and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, divide each round into three pieces. Roll the pieces out into long cords about a foot long. Braid the three ropes together to form a braided loaf. Place the braids on baking sheets to rise again.

Once the dough has risen to about double, carefully brush the surface with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Gently press a single red egg in the upper section of the braid.

Bake in a preheated 280-degree oven for about an hour until the crust is nicely browned all over.

This bread is delicious toasted or made into French toast.

DEVILLED EGGS

Devilled eggs are a quick and easy starter or snack and look very attractive. This is also a fun recipe to do with kids.

To make 16 devilled egg halves, you’ll need:
8 eggs
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 chopped salad onions
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch paprika
Fresh herbs to garnish (optional)

To make:

Hard-boil the eggs and, once cooked, leave to sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Remove from water and leave to cool.
When cool enough, peel off the shells and cut the eggs in half lengthways.
Scoop out the yolks and stir them in a bowl with the mayonnaise, mustard, chopped onions and seasoning, if using, until smooth.
Lay all the egg white shells on a plate and add a scoop of the yolk mixture to each. Garnish with fresh herbs and sprinkle with paprika.

DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE ALMOND PUDDING (from www.mydairyfreedream.com)

Servings: 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 2 hrs 5 mins

Ingredients:

400ml Almond Dream 4 tbsp cornflour 60g xylitol 60g dairy free margarine 150g dairy free dark chocolate Flaked almonds to decorate

Method

Mix a little of the almond dream with the cornflour to form a paste.
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and stirring all the time cook until it thickens – about 5 minutes. Beat well until smooth.
Allow to cool slightly then pour into glasses or ramekins and chill. Allow to firm up in the fridge for 2 hours.
Sprinkle over a few flaked almonds to serve.