Articles

12 Easter dishes that are perfect for an outdoor celebration

By TASTE, 29 March 2021

This Easter, take your long-awaited gathering outside and serve Abigail Donnelly’s slowest-ever lamb, pickled fish sosaties, ’nduja rice and a giant sticky bun that will streeeeetch all the way to sunset.

Sides

Spanish “’nduja” rice

Nduja ( say “en-DOO-ya”) is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Calabria in southern Italy. It’s similar to sobrassada from Spain, and loosely based on French andouille. Its spicy flavour comes from roasted peppers and it’s usually served spread onto crusty bread or mixed into pasta sauces. It’s not easy to come by, so we blitzed chorizo into a paste to make our own version.

Find the recipe for Spanish “’nduja” rice here.

Green beans with stewed tomatoes

Crunchy blanched green beans served on top of perfect stewed tomatoes? Yes, please! This side is super easy to make and will bring some vibrant colour to your Easter table.

Find the recipe for green beans with stewed tomatoes here.

Fennel, ClemenGold and fior di latte salad

If you're looking to serve a different kind of salad, this one is a clear winner. Plus is only takes 10 minutes to throw together.

Find the recipe for fennel, ClemenGold and fior di latte salad here.

Mains

Pickled fish sosaties

This is an innovative way to serve pickled fish this Easter. You could serve it as a starter or a main. Use salmon or hake instead of kingklip if you like. The sosaties can be made in advance and kept in the fridge. Use up any veggies you have in the fridge on the skewers too, baby marrows or tomatoes work well.

Find the recipe for Pickled fish sosaties here.

Lamb barbacoa

Barbacoa is a Mexican dish made with beef, goat or lamb and is traditionally cooked in a hole dug in the ground and covered with agave leaves, or slow-cooked over an open fire. If you are fresh out of agave leaves, wrapping the meat tightly in baking paper and foil works just as well, resulting in tender, pull-apart meat. This is served with ash bread and olive-and-parsley salsa, making for a distinctively different kind of roast.

Find the recipe for Lamb barbacoa here.

Crispy brined pork belly

Want great crackling? Brine the pork before cooking and make sure you pat it dry well. You could even leave it in the fridge for a few hours, then pat dry again to guarantee perfectly crisp, even crackling.

Find the recipe for crispy brined pork belly here.
Easy gammon terrine

When the gammon is out you know you are going to have a festive time! You don’t need to season the terrine because the gammon is quite salty. You can also use cooked ham instead of gammon and whatever size tin you’d like depending on how high you want your terrine.

Find the recipe for easy gammon terrine here.

Braaied salmon escabeche

When making the aïoli, ask someone to help you: one person can whisk while the other pours in the oil. Place the bowl on a folded tea towel to prevent slippage.

Find the recipe for braaied salmon escabeche here.

Dessert

Brandy snaps with caramel cream

These are a modified version of brandy snaps. To make traditionally shaped brandy snaps, roll around the handle of a wooden spoon to make a cylinder before baking. Fill using a piping bag.

Find the recipe for brandy snaps with caramel cream here.

Giant candied hazelnut bun

Make candied nuts from scratch or use Woolworths’ honey-glazed cashews, or any other caramelised nuts as a cheat for this recipe. And any leftover bun makes a great bread-and-butter pudding.