Clodagh's Easter Menu

Spring pea, pea shoot, pancetta & goat’s cheese salad

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

200g pea shoots or rocket leaves 

200g soft goats cheese, crumbled 

200g freshly podded pea’s

100g pancetta, cooked 

For the dressing 

100ml extra virgin olive oil 

juice and zest of one orange 

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard 

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk together well. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Put all the remaining ingredients for the salad in a large bowl, pour the dressing on top, and gently toss. 

ROAST BUTTERFLIED LAMB WITH SALSA VERDE

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves finely sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves

1.5 kg boned and butterflied leg of lamb

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salsa Verde 

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 basil sprigs chopped

2 flat-leaf parsley sprigs chopped

2 garlic cloves crushed

2 anchovy fillets chopped

2 tablespoons capers

200 ml extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7.

For the marinade, add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and rosemary to a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix together well.

Place the lamb, skin-side up, in a roasting tin and pour over the marinade. Using clean hands, rub the marinade into the lamb and then leave it to sit for 30 minutes. This allows the flavours to be absorbed into the lamb and also gives the meat time to come to room temperature before roasting.

When the 30 minutes is up, roast the marinated lamb for 40 minutes.

While the lamb is roasting, add all the ingredients for the salsa verde to a bowl and mix together well.

Remove the roasted lamb from the oven, cover with a loose tent of foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Thinly slice the roasted lamb onto a warmed platter and spoon the salsa verde down the centre of the lamb. Serve.

Lemony cheesecake with a hazelnut biscuit base

Serves 8

Ingredients:

250g digestive biscuits

140g hazelnuts (80g for the base, 60g for the crumb on top)

100g butter

300ml double cream

340g cream cheese

Zest of 3 lemons, juice of 2 lemons

150g caster sugar

Method:

Line the base of an 18cm spring cake tin with greaseproof / parchment paper.

Place the digestive biscuits and 80g hazelnuts in a blender and blend until you get a breadcrumb like consistency. Then pour in the butter and blend for 30 seconds. Spoon the biscuit base into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon to smooth it flat. Put the tin into the fridge to chill while you make the topping.

Whip the cream using a whisk or mixer, once the cream is whipped, add in the sugar, cream cheese, lemon juice and zest and whisk together until you get a light fluffy texture.

Remove the baking tin from the fridge and spoon in the lemon mixture. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out the top. Finely chop the remaining 50g hazelnuts and sprinkle around the edge of the top of the cheesecake.

Place the cheesecake into the fridge for at least 2 hours to set fully. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

I like to finish it off the cake by decorating it with flowers and another zest of lemon.