How to easily plan your Easter dinner (and some easy Easter recipes)

Easter dinner planning can be made a whole lot easier if you set up some ground rules BEFORE you start looking for recipes. In fact, this rule applies to any special event menu planning. If you start hitting the recipe books first, you can be easily tempted to do meals that don't fit your situation or be just plain overwhelmed by the choices. If you work out what you are looking for first, it makes it much easier to find it!

Some things to consider at the start:

• What style you are looking for: do you want a traditional menu or do you want something really wacky? Another idea is to stick to a particular nationality (a lot of different countries celebrate Easter), e.g. you could choose Italian, German, Polish or French - each of those cuisines have fabulous Easter menus (you could even decide on a tour of Europe as your theme).
• How easy or involved do you want it to be? How much time are you going to have to cook it? Will you have time to prepare recipes earlier so that it can be quickly whipped up on the day?
• What else you will have planned that day and where you will be (e.g. at a relative's house)?
• How many people are you expecting and who they are (will there be a lot of kids?)?
• What is the style of the meal: formal or relaxed sit down or buffet?
• Was there a particular dish or ingredient that you wanted?
• Do you have a preference for a cooking method? E.g. no cooking, roasting, slow cooking, microwave.

My Example

For my dinner (recipes to follow), I will be just entertaining my family at home (four but I often plan for six as I prefer to have leftovers than people go hungry). I would prefer to have a traditional feel to the menu but for it to also to be relaxed - so relaxed traditional is my style. I want it to be easy but as my time will be flexible on the day and the day before, it doesn't need to be ultra quick and I can prepare items. I don't want to do any fiddly cooking near dinner time so would prefer slower cooking methods like roasting or slow cooking. I would love there to be chocolate involved and since it is Easter, I'd like Easter eggs and Easter bunnies somewhere in the picture.

Keeping in mind your ground rules at all times, decide upon what parts/courses of dinner are going to form the menu:

• Will there be hors d'oeuvres / nibbles?
• Do you want formal entrées or will there just be side dishes served at the same time as the main?
• Do you want one or more salads or cooked vegetable dishes?
• Do you need more than one main course (e.g. different meat or vegetarian options)?
• Will there be dessert?

Write these down in a list. I like to do it in a text document on the computer where I can easily move things around without rewriting the list, but if you prefer pen and paper just make sure you leave some room under each of your menu parts (think of them as headings) to fill in suggested dishes (and then actual recipe titles in Step 3).

Next, think of the types of dishes you want but don't commit to a particular recipe yet (that's Step 3!). If you have chosen a particular style or theme for your Easter dinner, then this is a good time to do your research on it if you haven't already. Again, don't commit to particular recipes - just write the dish title down. If you can't think of a dish for a particular course, write down some attributes it should have like ingredients or cooking method (e.g. no cooking required).

Note that I haven't made deciding the courses and the dish types as separate steps as I think there is a bit of blurring of these two processes. Sometimes thinking of dishes helps me think of the parts/courses I want. This will be particularly the case if you need to do some research for your dinner style or theme.

My Example

It's only my immediate family so I don't want too many courses. I will probably serve some snacks to start off with but I won't have a separate entrée course - I'll just serve side dishes alongside the main meal. As I wanted a traditional dinner - I decided I needed to have lamb and potatoes on the menu. I also wanted a chocolate dessert with Easter eggs/bunnies. My mother is not a big fan of meat and my father needs to eat more vegetables so I will make sure I have more than one vegetable/salad option alongside.

Here's an example of my outline for this step:

2-3 Snacks

• Not sure exactly what yet but it needs to be simple to prepare with no cooking or can be cooked ahead of time.
• Maybe hardboiled Easter eggs if I have time to prepare them before.
• Maybe smoked salmon hors d'oeuvres that just need simple arranging and no cooking.

Vegetable Side Dishes

• Tomato based salad
• Lettuce based salad
• Simple Carrot dish (roast or fried)
• Something green like runner beans or peas

Carbohydrate Side Dish

• Potato Dish - Salad, Roast or Casserole

Main Course

• Lamb Dish - Oven, Casserole or Slow Cooked

Dessert

• Chocolate Cake - decorated with chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies

Traditionally, lamb was the focus of an Easter meal but roast chicken, turkey and ham have now joined the traditional repertoire.

Hot cross buns, small sweet bread buns with a cross on top, and dyed hard-boiled "Easter eggs" have long been fundamental parts of any Easter menu and especially popular with children through the ages. A popular game is to hide Easter eggs in the garden and let children find them.

Chocolate eggs are starting to replace hard-boiled eggs and moulded chocolate in the form of Spring items like bunny rabbits, chicks and eggs have become extremely popular so much so that, to many, chocolate has now claimed a rightful place in the Easter traditions.

I have a million cookbooks (well not quite a million but it would be well over a hundred...) so looking for recipes can be quite overwhelming. That's why working out what sort of recipes you want BEFORE makes it so much easier. I don't start with flicking through the recipes but if I know the dish I want or the ingredient, I will go straight to the index. If one cookbook has nothing suitable then I go on to the next one. Remember that you mean business - there's no room for sentimentality!

I've also recently discovered how brilliant the internet is for finding recipes. All you have to do is type the key ingredients or the name of the dish into a search engine like google.com and you are presented with a plethora of recipes that fit your criteria. I'll look through the top 15-20 links and see what suits my rules and tastes the best. I recently found the most amazing ginger chocolate chip cookie recipe doing just that.

So now with your rules and chosen courses/dishes firmly in place, choose the actual recipes you will use. I like to keep my headings from Step 2 to keep everything organised and me on track!

My Example (and some recipes)

You'll notice that my recipes don't call for exact quantities (except the cake), that's because I think there's quite a bit of flexibility with cooking savoury dishes.

Snacks

Hardboiled Eggs

• 1 egg/person (but this is really dependent on how much your family likes them!)
• Cold water
• Natural food colouring (I'm Australian, so I say "colour" not "color") Stickers
• Garnishes (optional)

The trick to hard boiling eggs is to cover your eggs in COLD water - if you put them straight into boiling water, they will crack. Bring the water to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat and when the water starts to boil, remove the saucepan from the heat. Let them stand for 15-17 minutes and then put them in cold (even icy) water to cool

When the eggs are cool, you can dye them if you wish by mixing water and natural food dye and leaving them to sit in the solution. If you want something totally natural and very elegant, cold dark tea (without milk!) makes a wonderful dye. To make patterns, put stickers or Scotch tape on the egg prior to dyeing and remove them after the dye has dried - wherever the sticker or tape was will not have any dye on it.

I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of hardboiled eggs but I do like them with a certain garnishes. I'm going to be a bit decadent - I cut the egg in half lengthwise, then top with a bit of mayonnaise, then caviar and a few shreds of chives. Yum!

Hot Cross Buns

One day I'll make my own but until then, I just get these from my nearest baker who do a fine job. If you're feeling adventurous, love bread making or don't live near a baker that makes them, then here's a recipe you can try: Hot Cross Buns Recipe.

Easy Smoked Salmon Hors d'oeuvres

• Smoked Salmon
• Savoury biscuits or crackers (the finer the cracker, the more elegant the treat)
• Sour cream
• Chives
• Lemon

Spread some sour cream on the cracker, top with some smoked salmon, squeeze a tiny amount of lemon (one drop) and sprinkle some chopped chives over it. Serve on a pretty plate.

Vegetable Side Dishes

Simple Tomato and Basil Salad

• Tomatoes cut into wedges (I go for 1.5-2 tomatoes a person)

• Handful of Basil leaves

• Good quality olive oil

• Chopped garlic (maybe one clove, but this is to taste)

• Sea Salt

• Pepper

In a bowl, place tomatoes, garlic and torn up basil leaves. Drizzle over olive oil (but don't drench them) and lightly season with salt and pepper. The flavours get richer if they are left to sit for a bit so I tend to make the salad about 30minutes to an hour before I plan to serve it.

Elegant Lettuce Salad

• Selection of mixed lettuce leaves, washed and dried

• Olive Oil

• Handful of chopped, fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, thyme)

• Salt

• Pepper

• Lemon

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

In a salad bowl, arrange lettuce leaves and toss through the chopped herbs.

In a sealable jar, pour in olive oil, lemon juice (I like a 1/3 lemon to 2/3 oil mix but it's up to you and how acidic/creamy you want your dressing to be), garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and shake until the oil is incorporated with the lemon juice to form one indistinguishable cloudy liquid. Drizzle this lightly over the leaves (the aim is not to have the leaves swimming in dressing).

Garlicky Carrots

• 1 - 1.5 carrots/person, cut into finger sized sticks

• 1 garlic clove every three carrots, chopped

• Olive oil, about a tablespoon

Heat olive oil and fry carrots in an appropriate sized pan (so that there's no empty space) on a medium heat until tender. About half of the way, add the garlic (I never add garlic at the beginning because I find it tends to overcook). Transfer to a plate to serve.

Spring Greens

• 3/4 cup Shelled Peas (frozen is fine)/person

• 5 whole sugar snap peas (i.e. in their pods)/person

• Thyme or Lemon Thyme leaves

• Butter

• Lemon Peel

• Salt

Bring some water to the boil in a saucepan and lightly cook the peas and sugar snap peas until just tender (don't overcook) - this should only take three to five minutes depending on quantities. If you are using frozen peas, add the fresh sugar snap peas later or else these will overcook. Drain and quickly run some cold water over the vegetables to stop the cooking process. Transfer to the serving bowl and toss in butter, herbs, peel and salt to taste until the butter has melted and vegetables are well covered.

Carbohydrates

Easiest Baked Potatoes Ever

• 2 potatoes/person (you might want to up this to 3 potatoes/person if you have particularly hungry people), sliced

• Chicken or vegetable stock, about a cup

• Salt and pepper Olive oil,

• about 1-2 tablespoons Rosemary sprigs (or other herb of your choosing)

Place sliced potatoes in a deep baking pan, toss with herbs and olive oil until the potatoes are well covered. Pour the stock over the potatoes. Using aluminium foil, cover the pan snugly so that there is no exposure to outside airflow.

Cook in a medium hot oven until done, I usually find this takes about 30 minutes but it will depend on how thinly you slice your potatoes.

The stock keeps the potatoes nice and moist and imparts a great flavour!

Main Course

Jamie Oliver's Brilliant Lamb Shanks

• 1 lamb shank/person

• Half a carrot/person, peeled and finely sliced

• 1/4 an onion/person, peeled and finely sliced

• 1/4 a leek/person, halved and finely sliced

• 3 garlic cloves/person, unpeeled

• Half a glass of white wine/person (you can substitute verjuice or grape juice if you don't want to use alcohol)

• 1.5 sprigs of fresh Rosemary/person, leaves picked off

• 1 sprig of fresh Thyme/person, leaves picked off

• 3 sage leaves/person

• Sea Salt

• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

• 1.5 tablespoons Butter/person

• Olive Oil

• 1 arms-length piece of aluminium foil/person

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C. In a food processor, blend most of the herb leaves (save some rosemary and sage for later) with the butter and some salt and pepper. Cut holes in the lamb shanks with a small knife and fill with this butter mixture - spread the holes evenly over the shank. Once done, rub the lamb shank with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Fold the aluminium foil in half (it should still be quite large). Divide up the garlic and the cut vegetables amongst each of the pieces, placing a pile in the middle of each piece of foil. Place the lamb shank on top of the pile of vegetable, with the bone pointing up, and top with some of the rosemary and sage leaves you kept aside before. Bring the sides of the foil up so you form a dish with it, splash a dash of the wine (or substitute) on top of the lamb, then make a parcel with the foil by gathering the foil around the bone and squeezing the edges together so it holds. Repeat for all remaining shanks.

Place the foil parcels in a baking pan with the bones facing up. Cook in the over for 2 1/2 hours and the meat is incredibly tender (it will fall of the bone). Serve in foils and let people open it up themselves.

Dessert

Chocolate Easter Egg and Bunny Cake

• Your favourite chocolate cake with lots of chocolate frosting

• Selection of cute chocolate eggs and chocolate bunnies

• (0ptional) coloured sugar almonds (I think these look like Easter eggs and it adds such pretty colour)

Why make Easter any harder than it needs to be? Choose your absolute most favourite rich chocolate cake with lots of yummy frosting and use pre made decorations to add a lovely Easter flavour.

If you don't have an absolute most favourite rich chocolate cake recipe, you must absolutely get one! This looks like a good place to start: Rich Chocolate Cake.

For special occasions, I only adjust quantities up - never down. Remember too that people seem to always expand their capacity to eat on holidays - don't rely on quantities for a normal evening's dinner and err on the generous side. I'd rather have leftovers than people going hungry and leftovers make the next day easier when you are undoubtedly going to be too exhausted from all that entertaining to cook anything.

Also remember that if you have multiple dishes, not every dish has to feed everyone as if that's the only meal they are going to eat that day. If you're serving eight people, you could have three salads that were made to serve four.

Put all your recipes in front of you and read them carefully, look for anything that can or must be done ahead of time. Create a shopping list of everything that needs to be bought and ingredients that you think you already have (check that you really do!).

Creating an action plan now will mean you can go on auto-pilot and not be stuck on Easter Sunday missing a critical ingredient with no shops open, or reading a recipe and finding that you should have actually left some ingredient to soak (e.g. like beans) or marinate overnight.

I hope this little article helps your Easter dinner planning (I know writing it, has helped me with mine!) - I hope too that you all have a happy and safe Easter!