A Celebration of Easter – Faith, Family & Food

Hospice counsellor and author Kate McGahan once said, “The very first Easter taught us that life never ends, and love never dies” which is why, after an Easter church service, it is usual for families and friends to get together to enjoy a welcome respite from their busy lives and partake in sharing delicious food.

Customs and religious beliefs are also shared and passed down to the children during this wonderful time. Easter is one of the most important and oldest festivals on the Christian church calendar, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This celebration also coincides with the arrival of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, hence the name Easter, from the old Germanic word Eostre, meaning rebirth and fertility.

In traditional times, Orthodox churches dyed eggs red, signifying the blood of Christ. The red dye was created using onion skins, beets and red cabbage.

The Germans introduced us to the Easter bunny, signifying fertility, and to the Easter egg hunt. Ukraine began the tradition of decorating eggs with modern traditions such as Easter bonnets, baskets, chocolate bunnies, big family brunches, lunches, and dinners coming later.

In South Africa and most European countries, roast lamb is traditionally served at Easter lunch, representing Christ as the human sacrificial lamb. Oddly, in the US, ham is the firm favourite for these holidays having been cured during the winter months and consumed in Spring.

In my huge family, we meet up for brunch each year at one of the cousin’s houses. The children come prepared for the Easter egg hunt armed with Easter baskets and adorned with homemade hats, while the men insist on hiding the eggs and of course try to outdo each other.

I have had to lay down some simple rules such as ensuring the same number of eggs hidden is the same number found, eggs cannot be hidden in birds’ nests and glow-in-the-dark eggs are forbidden! My children started screaming one evening and looking outside, we saw glowing orbs of light in the grass and trees, the lost and forgotten eggs!

Since then, they have had an unnatural fear of birds’ nests and nervously embark on Easter egg hunts staring up into tree branches above and missing out on the eggs hidden in the grass below.

This year is my turn to host the Easter lunch and I have decided that, considering the real possibility of load shedding, I will make use of other cooking methods and not rely on electricity.

So I am going to use our outdoor area in the garden under some shady trees and host an al-fresco lunch, with a long table set up reminiscent of my favourite movie, Chocolat.

Hopefully, my family will be as spellbound by the meal as the characters in the film. My trusty gas braai will be converted into a smoker and slow-cooked beef brisket will be served surrounded by harvest table salads, charcuterie boards filled with cheeses, cold meats, fruits, nuts, breads and preserves. A blueberry lemon no-bake cheesecake served in jars will finish off the meal.

Here then are my recipes:

Slow Cooked Smoked Beef Brisket (serves 15)

Ingredients
2 x 4kg beef brisket/topside
1 litre beef stock
125ml sea salt
125ml coarse black pepper
125ml Worcestershire sauce
1 bag oak woodchips

Method
Trim the brisket by cutting away the fat cap then score the meat by cutting straight lines into the flesh. Rub salt and pepper into the meat. Combine the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock and place in a food-safe spray bottle. Wrap 2 to 3 handfuls of woodchips in foil and poke tiny holes to allow steam to escape. Lay the package of wood chips directly on the cooking grate.

Continue to replace the woodchips every 30 minutes. Heat grill to 120°C and once chips start to smoke, place brisket fat side down and close the lid. Spray the meat with the bottled sauce once every hour. After about six hours start checking the internal temperature of the meat until it reaches 93°C. Remove and rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

Harvest Table Salad
Ingredients
560g mixed green lettuce
500g blueberries
8 pears, sliced
330g red onion, thinly sliced
500g feta cheese, crumbled
500g caramelised pecans

Dressing
250ml olive oil
180ml white wine vinegar
120ml honey
120ml Dijon mustard
5ml salt
5ml pepper
15ml dried oregano

Method
Mix dressing ingredients to make a vinaigrette. Place the balance of ingredients in a bowl or platter. Drizzle dressing over salad just before serving.

No Bake Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake in Jars
Ingredients
1kg blueberries
60ml honey
15ml lemon juice
15ml water
15g corn starch

For the cheesecake
230g cream cheese
200g Greek yoghurt
30ml honey
1 lemon, zest and juice

For the biscuit crumb
1 packet Tennis biscuits
45ml butter, melted

Method
For the lemon blueberry filling: Combine ingredients, except for corn starch and water, and
in a saucepan heat over low medium heat on your gas stove for 5 minutes. Mix in cornflour
and water, add to sauce and continue to cook until sauce thickens. Allow to cool.
For the cheesecake: Combine all ingredients and place in the fridge.
For the biscuit crumb: Crush the Tennis biscuits into a fine crumb. Add butter and mix.
To assemble: Place biscuit crumbs into mason jars and pack gently with your fingertips.
Divide the cheesecake mixture evenly amongst jars. Top off with blueberry sauce and chill for at least one hour or make it the day before (considering your load shedding schedule!

• Chef Sharon Pye is a chef lecturer at the Rosebank campus of Capsicum Culinary Studio.