Lockdown roast alternatives to cook up in no time this Easter

It’s Easter weekend and what better way to mark the occasion than with food.

And although we may not be having the usual large family gatherings, we can still indulge in some delicious cuisine.

Whether you’re sticking to lamb, which is beautifully in season right now, or fancy something a little more romantic for you and your other half such as a juicy steak, there’s plenty of dishes to cook up this weekend, whatever you’re in the mood for.

Craig Wilson, head chef and owner of Eat on the Green in Udny Green, Aberdeenshire, is a lover of lamb and has created a dish which features a range of vegetables, as well as locally sourced fillets.

He has also rustled up a vegetarian risotto dish which features vegan alternatives, too.

Fillet of Scottish Lamb

• 4 x 180 gram lamb fillets
• 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
• Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Rub rapeseed oil and salt and pepper over the lamb fillets.
2. Heat a frying pan until quite hot.
3. Place lamb fillet in hot pan and seal all the way around.
4. Place fillets in a pre-heated oven 200°C for five to 10 minutes (best served pink).
5. Remove from oven and rest for three minutes.

For the Lamb Jus

Ingredients:

• 1 litre of lamb stock
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, washed and chopped
• 1 white onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 bulb of garlic, bashed
• 1 leek, washed and chopped
• Small handful of thyme
• 200g lamb trimmings
• 50g tomato puree
• 200ml red wine
• Rapeseed oil for the pan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Place the lamb trimmings, carrot, onion, leek, celery and garlic in a large deep roasting tray, drizzle with the rapeseed oil and lightly toss to coat all of the ingredients.
2. Place the tray in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes or until all of the ingredients are evenly roasted.
3. Remove the tray from the oven and place on a medium/high heat. Stir in the tomato puree followed by the red wine.
4. Simmer the red wine and scrape to release any residue from the bottom of the tray.
5. Once the wine has reduced by half, pour in the fresh lamb stock and add the thyme, check for seasoning and add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
6. Simmer the sauce, skimming any impurities from the surface and reduce the sauce by half or until the sauce glazes the back of a spoon.
7. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and plate up. Serve alongside your favourite mashed potatoes and some crispy kale to top it.

Spinach, Kale and Auld Reekie Cheddar Risotto with Tempura Spring Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 70g Arborio Rice
• 1 medium shallot, chopped (or ½ onion, finely diced)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 50ml white wine
• 50ml vegetable Stock
• 50ml whipping cream (or coconut milk for vegan version)
• 50ml Rora Dairy yoghurt (or Alpro soya for vegan version)
• 25g Butter
• 75g cheddar, grated (Craig loves Auld Reekie, use Sheese for vegan version)
• Small handful curly kale, trimmed and shredded
• Small handful baby leaf spinach, washed and dried
• 2 tbsp Aberdeenshire rapeseed oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Sautee the chopped shallot and minced garlic in rapeseed oil until soft.
2. Add the Arborio rice and wine and reduce for a few minutes and add a little of the stock. Cover and cook until the rice is al dente – keep adding the stock during this process.
3. Add the butter, cream, yoghurt, curly kale, baby leaf spinach and cheddar and stir well.
4. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

To make the Tempura Batter/Sprouting Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 50g self-raising flour
• 50g cornflour
• Pinch of turmeric
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Deeside Sparkling water (enough to give you a single cream consistency)

Method:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth.
2. Dip tender stem or sprouting broccoli in the batter and deep fry in a pan with oil until crispy.
3. Drain and blot.
4. Drain and blot on kitchen paper before serving on top of the risotto.

Showcasing how best to cook a juicy fillet of steak, head chef of Porter’s Bar and Restaurant in Dundee, Gordon Smith, has opted for a delicious steak au poivre dish that is guaranteed to be a hit with the whole household.

Steak au Poivre

Ingredients:

• 2 fillet steaks (approximately 150g)
• 1 tbsp green peppercorns
• 8 black peppercorns
• 8 white peppercorns
• 25g butter
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 75ml red wine
• 100ml double cream
• Dash of brandy
• Sea salt to taste

Method:

1. Crush the white and black peppercorns together in a bowl.
2. Season the fillet steaks with the crushed peppercorns and sea salt.
3. Using a very hot frying pan, cook fillet steaks to your liking. You should cook them for approximately two to three minutes each side.
4. Remove steaks from pan and leave to rest.
5. Turn down the heat in pan, add butter and fry shallot without colour for 20 seconds.
6. Add brandy and red wine, reduce by half.
7. Add cream and bring back to simmer.
8. If steaks aren’t cooked to your liking, place back in pan with sauce and cook further.
9. Season sauce with salt and add green peppercorns.
10. Serve with your choice of steamed greens and mashed potatoes.

If you’re looking to serve up something sweet, why not give Gordon’s sticky toffee pudding a go. The puddings can all be made in advance and can also be frozen, too. To warm them up, heat them in the microwave for around a minute.

The toffee sauce can also last for one week in the fridge, meaning you could have the dessert all week if you make enough of it.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients for the pudding:

• 175g stoned dates
• 300ml water
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 75g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds only
• 175g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Ingredients for the toffee sauce:

• 115g unsalted butter
• 115g light brown sugar
• 115g dark brown sugar
• 500ml double cream
• Rum to taste (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Grease eight individual pudding moulds with butter then dust out with flour and set aside.
3. Place dates and water into pan, bring to boil, boil for five minutes and then blitz them until smooth. Add bicarbonate of soda and set aside until cool.
4. Cream butter and sugar until it is pale, slowly adding the eggs and beating them until it is smooth. Fold in the flour in three stages then stir in the baking powder.
5. Add the cooled date mix to the sponge batter, following with the vanilla seeds. Mix well.
6. Half fill the pudding moulds with the sponge mix and place into a deep roasting tin. Cover each pudding mould with a piece of parchment paper and tin foil. Fill the roasting tin with warm water until half way up the pudding moulds and bake for approximately 35 minutes until cooked.
7. In the meantime, for the toffee sauce; melt butter in a saucepan, add both sugars and slowly caramelise. Add in the cream and simmer for three minutes. Add the dark rum to taste if desired.
8. Once the puddings are out of oven, leave for five minutes and then remove them from the mould.
9. Pour over the toffee sauce and serve with pouring cream or a scoop of your favourite ice cream.