Bollywood Easter....Lamb Biriyani

Easter is a Christian Festival, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, on the third day after his crucifixion. It is a movable feast, meaning that it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. It is established on the first Sunday, after the spring full moon, following the March Equinox. The Equinox is on the 20th March, therefore the Easter date varies between March 22nd to April 25th. In 2014 Easter will be on the 20th April.

The tradition of eating lamb at Easter has it's roots in early Passover observances, before the birth of Christianity. The Egyptians were suffering terrible plagues, so the Jews painted their doorposts with sacrificed lamb's blood, so that God would "Passover" their homes, while carrying out the punishment. Jews who converted to Christianity continued the tradition of eating lamb at Easter, as they were already accustomed to eating roast lamb at Passover. Also Christians refer to Jesus as the Lamb of God, so it makes sense that the food shows up at the Easter table. On a less symbolic note, lamb would have been the only fresh meat available after a long winter, with no livestock to slaughter.

www.foodanddrinkphotos.com

Photographer: Peter Myers

So why Easter eggs? Well, eggs have been a symbol of rebirth, since ancient times. They were adopted as an Easter food by the Mesopotamian Christians, who dyed them bright red to represent Christ's blood. As egg decorating grew more popular, they were given to friends and family members. The custom of giving chocolate for Easter, first appeared in Victorian Times. The Cadbury Factory created hollow sculptures made of chocolate, which quickly boomed. By 1893, Cadbury were producing 19 different product lines for the Easter market.

So, for my bohemian feast this Easter, I'm cooking a Lamb Biriyani. The name is derived from the Persian word Beryan, which means fried or roasted. 

Serves 4

500g / 1 lb 2 oz diced lamb
4 tbsp olive oil
200ml / 8 fl oz water
4 cloves garlic, chopped 
1 tbsp  grated fresh ginger
4 medium onions, sliced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp dried chillies
1 tspn ground black pepper
1 tspn salt
250g / 9 oz basmati rice
500ml  stock, vegetable or meat. 

1- Place the lamb in an oven proof dish.
2- Add the olive oil, water, garlic, ginger, onions, spices, salt & pepper.
3- Cover the dish with foil and place in a pre-heated oven @ 180C/350F/Gas 4 and cook for 1 hour, or until the lamb is tender.
4- Once the lamb is cooked, add the rice and the stock.
5- Cover the dish with foil and return to the oven to cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. 
6- Serve the Lamb Biriyani hot, with a spoonful of chilled yoghurt raita on the side.

Simnel Cake

In between the egg & spoon race, egg trails, egg rolling, duck racing, egg decorating, and the egg drop challenge (designing your own egg parachute, to see if the egg can fall safely onto the landing site without cracking) you might want to celebrate the end of Lent ,with a special seasonal indulgence. The Simnel Cake is a light fruit cake with two layers of almond paste or marzipan, one in the middle and one on top. The eleven marzipan balls on top of the cake  represent the twelve apostles, minus Jesus.

Serves 12

For the Marzipan
200g / 7oz ground almonds
200g / 7oz icing sugar
1 tspn lemon juice
1 tspn brandy
1 egg separated

For the Cake
225g / 8 oz plain flour
1/2 tspn each of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
180g / 6 oz unsalted butter, diced
50g / 2 oz demerara sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tspn salt
100ml / 7 tbsp milk
400g / 13oz currants
225g / 8oz sultanas
200g / 7oz orange marmalade, warmed and sieved

1- To make the marzipan, place all the ingredients in a food processor, adding just enough egg white to make the paste pliable.
2- Wrap the marzipan in cling film and chill.
3- Cream the butter and the sugar.
4- Add the eggs, one at a time.
5- Add the sifted flour and the spices.
6- Add the salt.
7- Add the milk.
8- Stir in the dried fruit.
9- Add one third of the the sieved marmalade.
10- Chop the marmalade peel, adding all of it to the mixture. 
11- Spoon half the cake mixture into a 20cm greased and lined cake tin, with a removable base.
12- Lightly dust half the marzipan with icing sugar and roll out into a circle, the same diameter as the tin.
13- Lay the marzipan on top of the cake mixture (keeping the trimmings for the marzipan balls)
14-Spread one third of the sieved marmalade on top of the marzipan.
15- Spoon over the remaining cake mixture.
16- Cut out a circle of parchment paper with a 1" hole in the centre.
17- Place the paper circle over the cake and bake for 2 and 3/4 hours to 3 and 1/4 hours at 150C.
18- The cake should be firm to the touch, an inserted skewer should come out clean.
19- Leave the cake to cool and remove from the tin.
20 - Spread the remaining third of the marmalade on top of the cooled cake.
21- Lightly dust the other half of the marzipan with icing sugar and roll out into a circle, the same diameter as the tin.
22- Lay the marzipan circle on top of the cake, marking the edge.
23- Roll the marzipan trimmings into 11 balls, with a little jam on the base of each one, arranging around the top of the cake.

Cook's Tip
The finished cake can be placed under the grill and toasted very lightly. This happens very quickly, so you will need to turn the cake to cover evenly. The cake can be made in advance, just store in an airtight container.

   

Scottish Farmed Salmon Vs Scottish Wild Salmon

Scottish Wild Salmon has won protected status, just like Melton Mowbray Pork Pies. The fish  have been granted protected geographical indication status, meaning it has a particular quality attributable to it's place of origin. It also means that salmon caught in other countries cannot be packaged, sold or advertised as Scottish Wild Salmon. Salmon joins the list of about 1,000 products which are protected by legislation, including Scottish beef and lamb.

www.foodanddrinkphotos.com

Photographer: Tim Hill

Wild Scottish Salmon lives for part of it's life in the high quality freshwater streams and rivers of Scotland and then spends most of it's life growing into adulthood in the Atlantic Ocean. It returns to the same freshwater tributary where it hatched, then it mates and spawns. Most adults die after this epic journey, only one in two hundred and fifty females return to the sea and repeat the process the following year. 

Wild salmon is expensive, so during the early 1970's salmon farming began. Research and development has kept pace with production allowing salmon farmers to improve standards of fish welfare, while preserving the Scottish environment. This is vital to the health and quality of the fish growing within it. Scotland is now the largest farmed salmon producing country in the EU, which is only 40% self sufficient in the supply of seafood.

The words "Scottish Farmed Salmon" on a label is your reassurance that the fish you are buying has been produced to the highest standards of welfare and environmental care. The RSPCA's freedom food scheme is a charity dedicated to farm animal welfare. When you see the freedom food label, you know that animals have been kept to strict RSPCA welfare standards. These standards cover the whole animals life, not just their time on the farm.

So make one small change to your shopping and one big change to farm animal welfare. 

Chicory, Orange & Walnut Salad

Chicory is a perennial herbaceous plant that is slightly bitter and popular in winter salads. The individual leaves can also be separated out and used with dips or they can be cooked to give them a completely different flavour. For this recipe, a hint of sweetness from the oranges suits chicory well.

www.foodanddrinkphotos.com

Photographer: Roddy Paine

Serves 4

2 heads of chicory
2 oranges, segmented
40g / 1 1/2 oz walnut pieces
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
pinch of sugar
salt and ground black pepper
fresh parsley to garnish

1- Separate the heads of chicory lengthwise into individual leaves.
2- Put the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a screw top jar and shake well to mix. 
3- Taste the dressing and adjust the seasoning.
4- Pour the dressing over the salad leaves.
5- Scatter the chicory with the oranges and walnuts. 
6- Garnish with parsley.

This would make a wonderful starter for a St. Patrick's Day lunch. Saint Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, who was credited in bringing Christianity to Ireland. It is celebrated on March 17th which is the anniversary of his death in the 5th century.

The longest running Saint Patrick's Day Parade in North America occurs each year in Montreal, whose city flag includes a shamrock in it's lower-right quadrant.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Celeriac Soup

March is the first month of spring.... the snow begins to melt, the soil is thawing, there's more daylight, it's time for growth and new life. One vegetable that can still be harvested in March is Celeriac. It is a root vegetable closely related to celery that is grown for it's root ball. It contains little starch unlike other root vegetables and can be eaten raw or cooked. It can be shredded, frozen then added to soups or stews later and would be great as a starter for a Mother's day luncheon.

www.foodanddrinkphotos.com

Photographer: Gareth Morgans

Serves 4

500g / 1 lb 2oz celeriac
200g / 7oz potatoes
25g / 1 oz butter
90ml / 3 fl oz double cream
salt and white pepper

1- Peel the celeriac and the potatoes. 
2- Cut them into small chunks.
3- Place the chopped vegetables into a pan
4- Pour boiling water over the vegetables, just to cover them.
5- Simmer for about 10 minutes, until they are tender.
6- Add the butter and the cream.
7- Puree the soup until smooth.
8- Season to taste.