Easter lunch

[matrignano]

I'm hosting the family this Easter for the first time, and want to impress with a nice Easter lunch! 6 adults, 2 small kids, no fussy eaters/allergies bar my mother who is allergic to fish (except prawns and salmon).

Usually in Italy we have various starters, some kind of lasagna and then a roast, usually lamb.

Fancied doing something different and a bit more British, but I actually have no idea what's traditional here for Easter?

Ideas welcome!

[Gold]

matrignano said:

then a roast, usually lamb.

[Big Pants]

Nothing more British than this, surely?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roastbeefandyork...

[matrignano]

So there's no specific traditional Easter dish?
Like Turkey for Christmas?

They've all had Sunday roasts before so was looking to do something new to all!

Might do a veal/venison Wellington...

[21TonyK]

The most likely candidate is lamb as its in season, maybe do a lamb crown as something different.

Traditional (and I think specific to the UK) would be hot cross buns. Not a million miles from a mini panattone.

[tomsugden]

It's got to be spring lamb, that's what I always do.

[condor]

Traditionally, hot cross buns are for Good Friday as the cross represents Jesus dying on the cross.
Roast lamb for Easter lunch

[matrignano]

Here's the menu I've firmed up.
Any last minute comments/critiques?

Starter of 3 canapes
- Blinis with smoked salmon, salmon roe, sour cream and dill
- Mini croustades with crab in truffle mayo
- Quail scotch eggs

Pasta dish
- Veal ravioli in traditional Italian broth
- Nduja & ricotta ravioli with...more nduja!

Main Course
- Traditional Beef Wellington (mushroom duxelles with maybe a touch of truffle, and San Daniele ham) - QUESTION: 2 young kids might not like the duxelles and I was thinking of swapping it for olive tapenade, how does that sound?
- Beef Gravy
- Caramelised carrots and fine green beans

Desert
- Apple roses

Edited by matrignano on Friday 18th March 09:50

Edited by matrignano on Friday 18th March 09:51

[fredt]

matrignano said:

Here's the menu I've firmed up.
Any last minute comments/critiques?

Starter of 3 canapes
- Blinis with smoked salmon, salmon roe, sour cream and dill
- Mini croustades with crab in truffle mayo
- Quail scotch eggs

Pasta dish
- Veal ravioli in traditional Italian broth
- Nduja & ricotta ravioli with...more nduja!

Main Course
- Traditional Beef Wellington (mushroom duxelles with maybe a touch of truffle, and San Daniele ham) - QUESTION: 2 young kids might not like the duxelles and I was thinking of swapping it for olive tapenade, how does that sound?
- Beef Gravy
- Caramelised carrots and fine green beans

Desert
- Apple roses

Edited by matrignano on Friday 18th March 09:50

Edited by matrignano on Friday 18th March 09:51

Love the sound of all of that and might well steal the entire menu, but isn't it the law to have Lamb for Easter?

[matrignano]

The idea was to cook at least one traditional British dish for my family, who are all Italian. We also eat lamb at Easter so wanted to do something they haven't tried before

[21TonyK]

Go with a roast rib of beef, Yorkshires, sprouts, parsnips, mashed swede, horseradish sauce etc

[matrignano]

Glad to report that everything went well!
I must say that I underestimated the time and effort required for pulling it all together. This little lot took 3.5 hours to prep + various other interventions needed over the course of the lunch. And doesn't include the ravioli's which were shop bought (albeit hand made by an Italian deli place)!
My only gripe is that the scotch eggs were a bit underseasoned, and that the wellington got really soggy on the bottom and we didn't manage to cut a wholly intact slice! But it tasted great.

[calibrax]

Pictures are not showing up...

[matrignano]

They work if you click on them, I think!

[TIGA84]

Looks really great, the n'duja course sounded excellent. It amazes me though you Italians, having a starter, then a bowl of pasta before a main course, I'd be done after them, maybe I need to start lunch around 11am and finish about 10pm?

I got married in Italy and it was a double of everything, 2 primo, 2 secondi, then 2 mains, then 2 desserts. I was done after the second starter, and that was after the enormous Parmesan that was basically whole, with knives sticking out of it to carve chunks off and the leg of ham that was being carved as we had drinks. No-one went hungry that's for sure.

[matrignano]

The Nduja dish unfortunately wasn't the best one of the lot.
The Nduja sauce really overpowered the ravioli's filling which, although also nduja based, was much more delicate. Still nice though!

Yes I know what you mean about Italian meals. A few people dropped out at the last minute so I thought we'd have way too much food (1.4kg of raviolis, 1.2kg of wellington) for 6 adults and 2 kids, but surprisingly we managed to hoover almost everything up!
It went on for about 5 hours though, so it was lunch and dinner combined!

Edited by matrignano on Tuesday 29th March 16:14

[Dand E Lion]

Looks great - ironically we went Italian instead of our usual roast lamb (we are lambing at the moment and the grandchildren won't eat lamb once they have bottle fed a few!)

Ours was prosciutto crudo, chicory, mozzarella, focaccia, stuffed piedmont peppers

then torta pasqualina, polpette con arrabiatta, melanzane parmigiana, zucchine ripiene, finocchio al forno...





and white tiramisu, semi-freddo and figs

[matrignano]

Dand E Lion said:

Looks great - ironically we went Italian instead of our usual roast lamb (we are lambing at the moment and the grandchildren won't eat lamb once they have bottle fed a few!)

Ours was prosciutto crudo, chicory, mozzarella, focaccia, stuffed piedmont peppers

then torta pasqualina, polpette con arrabiatta, melanzane parmigiana, zucchine ripiene, finocchio al forno...





and white tiramisu, semi-freddo and figs

Looks great! There's a distinct lack of pasta though for a "proper" Italian meal ;-)

[Dand E Lion]

matrignano said:

Looks great! There's a distinct lack of pasta though for a "proper" Italian meal ;-)

We're a bit antipasta here, OH doesn't like it!

[matrignano]

My turn again to host Easter!

Really struggling with the menu this time around...

Everyone's in agreement to keep it simpler this year.
Thinking similar ravioli course as previously, but only one course. Ravioli with veal but what sauce?

Then pretty much set on Lamb Kleftiko with potatoes, seems like the lowest faff option.

Any other ideas or inspiration this year?