Roast hogget and rhubarb trifle: Gill Meller’s Easter recipes - MW

We all love a reason to cook. Dates must be marked, remember, and doing something good to eat often helps us do that. The resurrection is special in this regard and celebrated by all kinds of people in all ways. For me, it was the first festival of my cooking year. He has the chance to set a table and often make stories in the spring.

An Easter menu can be whatever you want it to be; There are no official rules like this. We hear a lot about chocolate and sweets, but I can really see them in line with the celebration of fertility, new growth and the life cycle.

Lamb, you might think, is a perfect fit, but spring mutton is never as good as pork or lamb. Hogget (a sheep over a year old) will spend months grazing on the open grass. He will see a spring become summer. A young sheep, which is usually eaten on Easter weekends, will be born in winter and will likely be kept in a barn with little or no access to fresh grass. It is simply comparable to an animal that the Jar spent a year in the field, with four seasons of flavors. I surrounded my center piece with a grilled pig with seafood stuff. A big piece of salted turmeric soup, with fresh green parsley, bacon and double cream. In addition to a dish of smoked cod with broccoli with purple sprouts, these two ingredients are best in early spring.

Mussel, bacon and parsley soup

Rope-grown mussels are one of the most sustainable forms of aquaculture. I like to add plenty of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley to this soup, so it’s almost green with it.

Serves 4
fresh live mussels 1-1.2 kg
bay leaves 2 fresh
flat-leaf parsley 1 bunch, leaves picked and chopped, stalks reserved
butter 1 knob
pancetta 150g, cubed, or streaky bacon cut into pieces
coriander seeds ½ tsp, toasted and crushed
garlic 2 cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
leek 1 medium, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fish or vegetable stock 500ml
double cream 150ml

Give the mussels a quick rinse under cold running water. You’ll need to pull away the gray beards and knock off any barnacles using the back of a knife.

Remove any mussel shells that do not close after a tap.

Place a large heavy saucepan with tight lid on high heat. Add 150ml of water and bay leaf and parsley stems.

When the boiling water quickly adds mussels, shake the pan and turn on the lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes, add the pan to shake, until the mussel shells are open. Remove the pan from the stove and immediately remove the mussel from a large colander over a bowl to collect cooking liquid. Don Xiet forgot to bowl or pour mussels into the sink. It is an important part of the soup.

Rinse pan and set over medium heat. Add the butter and when it bubbles, add the pancetta or bacon and fry slowly until it starts to crunch around its edges. Now add coriander seeds, garlic and leeks along with some salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the leek is soft and smooth, about 8 minutes.

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Add mussel wine (except the last few drops can sometimes be gritty) and stock. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Pick the meat out of the mussel shell, keep some intact for garnish, and set aside. Add cream to the soup and bring to a boil. Now add mussels and chopped parsley, and plenty of black pepper and salt to taste.

Arrange the dedicated covers in the base of four warm bowls. Scoop over hot soup and serve at the same time.

Whip smoked with purple broccoli is charged

Cod in the spring can bring eggs, it's the season for it. Fresh cod caviar is great, but once salted and gently sucked it even tastier. I think it's deliciously sliced ​​thinly and served on a brown butter toast with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of black pepper, but I also love making a traditional taramaalata version, which I serve with burnt purple broccoli , one of my favorite brass dishes.

Server 4
Broccoli sprout 500g
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For snow whips cod whips
Old water bread or sour dough 3-4 slices, crust removed
Whole milk is about 200ml
smoked smoked cod 250g
Garlic 1 small clove, peeled and finely ground or crushed
Good quality 150ml virgin olive oil, plus for drizzle
Sunflower oil 100ml
lemonade of
creme fraiche 2 tbsp
Sweet paprika a good pinch, to serve

Start by making whipped cod eggs. Tear the old bread and place it in a bowl, pour the milk and let the bread soak for about 5 minutes.

Place the roe on a board and use a sharp knife to separate the skin on its surface. Take a spoon and carefully scoop out a piece of soft egg and place it into a food processor. Squeeze the excess milk from bread and add the soaked bread to the egg, along with crushed garlic.

Combine the oils in a jar, then turn on the machine and gradually put them in, little by little - the principle here is similar to making mayonnaise. Once all the oils have been combined, add lemon juice and creme fraiche and whiz again. Taste - it doesn't need salt but a bit of black pepper has been hurt. (If it becomes too thick - what might happen - add a little water to loosen up.)

Cut off any very thick stems from sprouting broccoli. Bring a large pan of salt water to boil and drop into broccoli. Cook for 1 minute then drain and steam the broccoli.

Preheat a large grill pan over a high heat. Small broccoli with olive oil and salt and pepper wedges. When the pan is lovely and hot, place the broccoli sprouting in a pan in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until it is colored and the thickest part of the stem is soft. You may need to do this in batches.

Beat the cod eggs into the serving bowl, sprinkle some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with paprika. Arrange hot charged broccoli on a warm dish and use with cod roe to soak.

We look forward to publishing fish recipes that are rated sustainable by the Good Fish Conservation Society


Grilled sausage, crushed white beans, anchovies, rosemary & parsley

Hogget is also worth watching down. Just ask your butcher to order you some or grab it directly from the farmer market or online. Try Pipers or Coombe Farm. Of course, you can bring baked potatoes to the table with the pigs but these white beans are absolutely delicious to the next level. They take all the flavor and fat from the meat, and like delicious baked goods are never left.

Serve 4-6
dried haricot beans 250g
hogget on 1 leg bone, about 2-2.5kg
fresh rosemary with 4 branches
garlic 4 cloves
lemon zest of 1
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
onions 1
parsley flat 1 bundle, leaves picked, petiole reserved
fresh bay leaf 2
anchovy fillets 8
1 large pinch of dried chili peppers

Preheat oven to 180C fan / gas mark 6.

Put haricot beans in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 12 hours or overnight.

Remove the pig from the fridge a few hours before you intend to cook it. Separate leaves from half of rosemary sprigs and chop them.

Take half of the garlic and peel and chop this too too. Mix rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Place the feet of pigs in a large, deep roasted box. Spoons the mixture of rosemary and garlic, and massages it into the meat. Season the pork with salt and pepper, place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 160C fan / gas mark 4 and continue cooking for another 1 hour and 15 minutes.

While the roasted pig cooks soaked beans. Put them in a pan and cover with plenty of clean water. Add half the onion, parsley stalk and bay leaf, and put on a high heat. Bring the beans to a boil, turn on low heat to simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes, skimming occasionally. They must be nice and soft before you remove all the beans. Stock up on their cooking wine.

When the pig is ready, remove it from the oven and lift its feet off the roasting tray onto a large dish to rest. Set the roasting tray on a low heat and when the fat is hot, thinly slice the remaining onion and garlic and add to the tray along with the remaining anchovies, chili flakes and rosemary leaves. Allow everything to gently dispel in the fat, stirring when the onions and anchovies are softened - this will also help encourage any darker, more sticky, caramelized bits from the bottom of the roasting tray to free themselves. . Don't let onions catch or color too much.

After 6-8 minutes of cooking, add white beans and stir well. Pour in about 500ml of dedicated cooking liquid, boil and cook for 10-12 minutes. Take one third of the beans and put them in a blender before putting them back in the tray and stirring. Also, use a blender to bump them up in place. Either way, beans want rich and cream while still full of texture.

Continue to cook the beans gently until they are thick and edible. If they become too thick, add a little cooking liquid. Chop the parsley leaves flat and add them to the beans along with any resting juice that has accumulated on the plate under the stomach.

Cut pork into thin slices and eat with beans.

Spring lettuce salad with bread & leek

A soft butterhead lettuce salad makes a perfect accompaniment to a rich roast like the hogget. I like to add new season watercress and a few floral tender herbs if I can find them, particularly chervil and dill. Lightly steamed leeks in a mustardy dressing give the salad extra body, and a scattering of croutons add texture.

Serves 4
leeks 2-3 small to medium, trimmed, rinsed and sliced into 1cm rounds

salt and ground black pepper

butterhead lettuce 1 large
watercress 2 good handfuls
chervil 1 small bunch, coarser stems removed
dill ½ small bunch, coarser stems removed, finely chopped
flat-leaf parsley 1 small bunch, leaves picked

For the dressing
English or dijon mustard 2 tsp
sugar 2 tsp
cider vinegar 1 tbsp
creme fraiche 2-3 tbsp
olive oil 2 tbsp
dill ½ small bunch, coarser stems removed, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the croutons
olive oil 2 tbsp
good country bread or sourdough 4 slices, crusts removed and torn into small chunks
garlic 1 small clove, whole
thyme 2 sprigs, leaves stripped

To make the dressing, thoroughly combine the mustard, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in the creme fraiche, olive oil and the dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Set a steamer with water in it over a medium-high heat and when it’s ready, add the sliced leeks and pop on the lid. Cook until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Remove the leeks to a plate and trickle over half the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To make the croutons, place a medium pan on the heat and add the olive oil. When it’s hot, throw in the bread pieces and toss them through the oil. Add the garlic clove and the thyme leaves and fry, turning frequently, until crispy and golden on all sides. Season with a pinch of salt then take the pan off the heat and set aside.

Separate the lettuce leaves and wash them and the watercress carefully. Dry and toss with the chervil, the dill and the parsley leaves. Arrange the salad leaves and herbs on a large serving platter. Spoon over the dressed leeks and scatter over the croutons. Season everything lightly and trickle over the remaining dressing.


Lemon & rhubarb trifle

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable, but we tend to think of it as a fruit. It’s the first non-fruit fruit of the year and as soon as it appears I start using it in the kitchen. This trifle is one of the best I’ve made. I love the lemon custard and the way it works with the sharp rhubarb. The recipe makes enough for the following day too, and who doesn’t like trifle for breakfast?

Serves 6-8
For the sponge
butter 125g, softened
unrefined caster sugar 125g
free-range eggs 2
self-raising flour 125g
poppy seeds 2 tsp

For the rhubarb
rhubarb 750g, trimmed and rinsed
water 125ml
lemon juice and zest of 1
unrefined caster sugar 100g

For the lemon custard
whole milk 300ml
unwaxed lemons juice and zest of 2
unrefined caster sugar 125g
cornflour 1 tbsp
free-range egg yolks 6
double cream 400ml

To finish
double cream 400ml
unrefined caster sugar 25g
flaked toasted almonds 2 tbsp
poppy seeds a scattering

Heat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4. Line a medium-sized baking tray with baking parchment. To make the sponge, cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale. Beat in the eggs, then sift over the flour and sprinkle in the poppy seeds. Fold the sponge mixture together carefully, then spoon it onto the prepared baking sheet and level it off – it shouldn’t be deeper than 2-3cm. Place in the oven to bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the sponge is golden and cooked through.

To cook the rhubarb, slice the stems into 3-4cm pieces and tumble them with the water, lemon zest and juice, and the sugar, and turn out onto a baking tray. Arrange the rhubarb in a single layer if you can, and pop into the oven to bake for 25 minutes or until the stems are tender but are still holding their shape. Set the rhubarb aside to cool.

To make the lemon custard, pour the milk into a heavy based saucepan with the lemon zest and set over a medium heat. Bring this mixture to simmer.

Combine the sugar, cornflour and the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Pour over the hot milk, whisking as you do.

Return this mixture to a clean pan. Gently cook the custard until it starts to thicken up. Make sure you keep stirring to avoid overcooking it. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pass the custard through a sieve then allow it to cool. Whip the cold cream until it forms soft peaks then fold or whisk the cream into the cooled custard.

Assembling the trifle is easy. Slice the sponge cake up into squares or fingers and arrange these over the base of large serving bowl, preferably a glass one.

Arrange the cooled roast rhubarb over the sponge and spoon over all the pink roasting juices.

Pour the chilled lemon custard over the rhubarb then place the trifle back in the fridge to chill for an hour or so. To finish, whip the cream and the 25g of sugar to smooth soft peaks with a whisk. Don’t overwork it or it will go grainy. Spoon the soft cream over the custard. Return the trifle to the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.


Sprinkle over the toasted almonds and a few more poppy seeds before bringing to the table.

MW