Easter Recipes

Tsoureki

Ingredients:
500g (2 2/3 cups) plain flour
21g (3 packets) dried yeast
125ml (½ cup) milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten, plus extra for brushing
50g caster sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 oranges
2 tsp mehlepi
75g softened butter, coarsely chopped
3 eggs, dyed red

Method:
Combine flour, yeast and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, form a well in the centre, set aside. Add milk, eggs, sugar, orange rind, mehlepi and 100ml lukewarm water and mix until a soft dough forms (5-7 minutes). Gradually add butter, a little at a time, mixing until a smooth soft dough forms (3-5 minutes), place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in size (40 minutes-1 hour).
Meanwhile, for red Easter eggs, follow instructions on packet to cook and dye eggs then set aside to cool completely.
Knock back dough and divide into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a 45cm-long cylinder, plait pieces together, then bring ends together to form a wreath and squeeze to join. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper and set aside to prove slightly (20 minutes).
Preheat oven to 180C. Brush wreath with eggwash, gently push red Easter eggs (unpeeled) into wreath and bake until wreath is golden and cooked through (25-30 minutes). Cool on a wire rack, serve with butter.
Note: Mehlepi and red egg dye are available from Greek delicatessens. Instructions and the quantity required vary from brand to brand.

Flaounes


Ingredients:
500g plain flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mehlepi ground to a fine powder
1 teaspoon mastic ground to a fine powder
1 teaspoon of sugar
125g butter, melted
1 sachet easy bake yeast
A pinch of salt
A dash of warm milk for kneading (about 80ml)
60ml warm water

For the filling:
500g Cypriot ‘Flaouna’ cheese or alternatively 250g halloumi and 250g mild cheddar
1/4 cup semolina
2 eggs (plus 1 more for the glazing)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mehlepi
1 teaspoon mastic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
120g raisins
1 egg, whisked (for the glazing)
½ cups sesame seeds (for the glazing)

Method:
In order to have the best texture for your flaounes, it is best to prepare the filling from the night before or at least 4-5 hours before baking. This would allow the cheese filling to dry out and be able to absorb more of the “moisture” from the ingredients.
Start off by grating the cheese as fine as you possibly can. Add the beaten eggs, raisins, mint, mastic, mahlepi and semolina and mix thoroughly. Cover it with a cloth and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 4-5 hours before baking.
Next off start preparing the dough. The dough is more like a shortbread and not very bread-y, hence be careful not to overwork the dough as your flaounes will be a bit doughy. In a large bowl, sift the flour, add the salt, baking powder, mehlepi, mastic and mix thoroughly.
Add the butter and eggs to the mixture and gently mix the flaouna dough with your fingers. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the sugar, pour into the dough and then add the warm milk. Be careful for your water and milk to be only lukewarm and not hot as they will kill your yeast!
Continue kneading the dough for a few minutes until the texture is firm but not bread-like. If the dough is too wet add a little more flour but be careful not to overdo. Cover the dough mix with some cling film and let it rise for 1-2 hours or until it has almost doubled in size.
Now it’s time to start assembling your flaounes! Get the filling mixture out of the fridge and add the remaining mixture ingredients. Mix thoroughly and set it aside. Pour the dough out of the bowl and roll out in thin sheets. Cut into 12 by 12 cm rectangles, about 5 inches in each dimension. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on a small plate with approximately the same size as the dough rectangles.
Glaze the outer side of the dough with the whisked eggs and press it down on the sesame seeds. This will ensure that the seeds are firmly embedded in the dough. Grab a handful of the cheese filling and form a ball. Place in the centre of the dough (sesame seeds facing outwards), glaze the edges with a little more whisked egg and fold, pinching the corners together to form the flaouna shape.
Once all your flaounes are shaped, place them on a baking tray lined with grease proof paper, let them rise for about 30-45 minutes and then bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Easter Lamb

Ingredients:
1.6kg bone-in leg of lamb
50ml olive oil, plus a splash
3 oregano sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped
4 rosemary sprigs, leaves of 2 picked and roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
1 garlic bulb
Cloves, lightly smashed
1 red chilli, pierced
1kg potatoes skins on, cut into thick wedges
3 fennel bulbs cut into quarters lengthways, tops removed, green fronds reserved
250ml white wine
250ml good-quality chicken stock

Method:
Take the lamb out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking it and use a sharp knife to make small incisions all over the meat. Mix the oil with the oregano, chopped rosemary and lemon zest. Rub the marinade all over the lamb, massaging it well into the cuts.
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the garlic, chilli, potatoes, fennel and remaining rosemary into a large roasting tin, pour over some olive oil and toss together. Season the lamb generously, then lay it on top of the veg. Roast for 45 minutes until the lamb is starting to brown, then pour in the wine and stock. Continue cooking for 30 minutes for rare (55C on a cooking thermometer), 35-40 minutes for medium rare (60C) or 45 minutes for cooked through (70C).
Remove the lamb and rest for up to 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 160C/140C fan/gas 3, cover the veg with foil and, while the lamb rests, put back in the oven until braised in the roasting juices. Scatter the fennel fronds over the veg, place the lamb back on top and bring the whole tin to the table to serve.

Recipe from bbcgoodfood.com

Dyed Easter Eggs

You only need four ingredients to dye your eggs naturally. It’s as simple as peeling brown onion skins, adding them to a pot with some water along with the eggs and some vinegar. Cook for 20 minutes and allow to steep. Voila! You have beautiful red eggs!
Place eggs in a single layer on the bottom of a stainless steel pot.
Use room temperature eggs and make sure they’re fresh. The colour of your eggs will also play a part in how they turn out. Brown eggs will turn a very vibrant red after the recommended steeping time; If you choose to use a lighter coloured egg or white eggs, you may need to adjust the steeping time.
Add the brown onion skins and the water – making sure it covers the onion skins and the eggs. Brown onion skins is the key to getting good red colour – use one whole medium to large onion’s skin per egg.
Add the red wine vinegar and stir. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the eggs to cool and steep in the natural dye (around 1.5 hours). The longer you leave it, the more intense the colour will be.
Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon.
Place the dyed eggs on a paper towel-lined dish to dry.
Allow the eggs to dry completely before polishing with a little bit of olive oil. Any oil works – and it makes the red Easter eggs look magnificent!

Alternatively you can use commercial dyes, available from Greek delicatessens, to colour your Easter eggs. Instructions and the quantity required vary from brand to brand.