We asked good cooks around town: What Easter dishes make them happy? What traditional foods did they grow up with? The result? A collection of Ukrainian, British, Italian, Filipino and Danish family favourites. Happy Easter!
Easter Babka
“The Ukrainian Easter tradition is to prepare a basket of specific foods on Saturday. They are blessed, then eaten after Sunday mass. These foods include butter, cheese, salt, kielbasa or ham, pysanky, beet relish or vinaigrette, boiled eggs and babka or paska. They are often decorated with flowers, candles or embroidered cloth.”
– Cindy Lazarenko, Culina Family
In a large mixing bowl add:
| 1 c | granulated sugar |
| ½ c | unsalted butter (softened) |
| 10 | egg yolks |
Cream together until smooth. Set aside. In a medium bowl add:
| 1½ c | milk |
| 1 pkg | traditional yeast |
| 1 c | all-purpose flour |
Whisk until foamy. Then add:
| 1 c | warm water |
| ½ t | salt |
| 1 t | vanilla |
Stir well. Add milk mixture to egg mixture. Then add:
| 7 c | all-purpose flour |
| 1½-2 c | raisins (soak in ⅓ cup water or rum for 20 minutes and then drain) |
Mix all ingredients well until dough forms a ball. Dough will be sticky.
Transfer dough to a floured surface, adding more flour as needed and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Let rise for two hours. After two hours punch down with your fists to deflate. Then let rise for another two hours.
Grease your hands and pinch off pieces of dough and drop into well-greased tins, approximately ⅓ full. Press gently with floured fingers to fill in gaps and smooth tips.
Let rise for another 1½ to 2 hours (cover with tea towel).
Brush with egg wash (1 egg + 1 T water). Bake for 30 minutes at 350ºF until very golden brown. Leave in cans for 10 to 15 minutes and they should pop out easily. Let loaves cool on their sides, rotating every so often to help keep their shape.
Yields 6-7 loaves depending on size of tins.
Tips: We use 796 ml tomato cans. Make sure the cans are food grade-safe when heated and that their interiors do not have a coating inside (usually white) because the plastics and chemicals in the coating can leach into the bread. Babka is traditionally baked in cylindrical tins but can be baked in regular loaf pans or even a Bundt pan. Whichever you choose, be sure internal temperature reaches 200ºF.
Hot Cross Buns
“Be patient with the dough—it will take some time—be sure to wait until it holds a fingerprint during the initial rise and resists being pinched in the final prove.”
– Kaelin Whittaker, Awn Kitchen
Dough
| 625 g | strong (bread) flour |
| 80 g | brown sugar |
| 1 t | ground mixed spice (not allspice) |
| 1 t | ground ginger |
| 1 t | ground cinnamon |
| 15 g | fine sea salt |
| zest of 2 oranges (optional) | |
| 25 g | fresh yeast (half the quantity of dry) |
| 2 | egg yolks (save the whites for meringues) |
| 250 g | cold water |
| 50 g | warm water |
| 125 g | unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1 cm cubes |
Dried Fruit
| 125 g | citrus peel |
| 125 g | raisins |
| 125 g | currants |
Mix the yeast with the warm water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix your flour, sugar, spices, citrus zest (if using). Make a well in the centre and add the cold water, yeast mixture and egg yolks. Holding your dominant hand like a claw, and using your other hand to support the bowl, get in and begin to mix the dough. You can either mimic the motion of a dough hook on a machine, or just mix. If you feel that you do not have enough liquid in the dough at this stage, it is better off to add a bit more (starting in 15 g increments) before you have mixed the dough beyond looking shaggy, or it will be much harder to incorporate. Keep in mind that there can be a lot of moisture on your fingers, so it is worth stopping and using a dough scraper to clean off your hand. Once you have a rough dough, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, scraping the bowl clean with your dough scraper. Begin kneading the dough by pushing the dough away from you, folding it over itself and giving the dough a quarter turn, repeating this motion until you have a smooth dough that is no longer sticky.
Once your dough reaches this point, knead in the fruit into the dough ensuring it is incorporated well. Tidy the dough into a round and place back into the mixing bowl and cover.
Leave the dough to rest until it has doubled in size; this will take 1-2 hours. Your dough should hold an indent when pushed with your finger at this point and not spring back.
Tip the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, divide into 2 equal pieces for loaves or 120 g pieces for buns. Shape into rounds and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Leave to prove for about 1 hour until they have doubled in size and when pushed lightly there is a spring in the dough.
The Cross and Egg Wash
| 100 g | strong flour |
| pinch sugar | |
| pinch salt | |
| 120 g | water |
To make the cross, mix the flour, sugar and salt together, add the water and whisk using a fork into a thick paste. Fill into a piping bag or a zip lock bag and cut the end of opening a small hole.
Once the buns have proved, brush on the egg wash (1 egg plus 1 t water) and pipe a cross onto each bun.
Bake in a preheated oven (400ºF) for 5 minutes before turning down to 375ºF to finish baking for a further 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Makes one large or six small buns.
Grattini in Brodo
“A soup of rich chicken broth, Parmigiano Reggiano and nutmeg brings my sensory memory directly to Easter.” –Daniel Costa, Corso 32 Group
Chicken Broth
Make a day ahead or morning of.
| 2 | chicken carcasses |
| 1 T | olive oil |
| 1 | carrot, peeled and halved |
| 2 stalks | celery, halved |
| 1 | yellow onion, halved |
| 1 sprig | rosemary |
| 1 sprig | sage |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 1 t | peppercorns |
| 2 rinds | Parmigiano |
| 12 c | cold water |
| 1 t | salt |
Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Roast the chicken carcasses on a baking sheet or oven proof pan until deep golden brown. While the chicken is roasting, heat the olive oil in a deep pot over high heat. Add the vegetables and herbs. Fry until the carrots are golden. Add the water, roasted chicken carcass and remaining ingredients. Simmer gently for 3 hours. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve, discard the solids. Allow the broth to cool slightly and remove the fat from the top of the broth.
For the Grattini Pasta
| 200 g | semolina |
| ¼ t | kosher salt |
| 8 grates | nutmeg |
| zest from ¼ lemon | |
| 3 T | grated Parmigiano Reggiano |
| 2 | eggs |
| 1 T | water |
Place the semolina, Parmigiano, lemon zest, salt and nutmeg in a food processor. Turn on, add one egg at a time followed by the water. The mixture should resemble coarse couscous. Add a little more semolina if the mixture is too wet, or water if it is too dry. Dump the mixture out onto a kitchen cloth and allow to dry for 1 hour.
For finishing
| fresh lemon juice | |
| Parmigiano Reggiano | |
| black pepper | |
| nutmeg |
Bring 4-6 cups of the broth to a simmer. Add the grattini and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Season the soup to taste with salt and a squeeze of lemon. Spoon into warmed bowls, top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano, black pepper and a few grates of nutmeg.
Serves 2.
Slow Roasted Cod with Dill Pickle Cream Sauce
“I met a chef from Boston who slow-roasted his thicker cuts of fish, which kept them moist all the way through. I have adopted this method and I think you should consider it too. I am preparing this simple recipe with cod, cold-water fish, often coming from Iceland, mild and meaty with nice big flakes. You can use Arctic char or salmon, serve it family style, or plate it for a formal dinner party.”
–Brad Smoliak
| 4 | 6 oz cod fillets |
| 1 | T canola oil |
| salt and pepper |
Pre-heat oven to 250ºF.
Place the fillets on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle the canola oil over the fillets and season with salt and pepper. Use centre rack of oven.
Cook for 18-20 minutes for medium-white in the middle, firm to the touch.
Dill Pickle Cream Sauce
| 1 T | butter |
| 1 T | flour |
| 1¾ c | milk |
| ¼ c | whipping cream |
| 1 T | fresh dill |
| 1 T | fine sliced green onion (green part only) |
| 2 T | fine-chopped dill pickles |
| salt and pepper to taste |
Melt butter, whisk in flour making a roux. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking vigorously to ensure that no lumps form. Cook for 5 minutes to cook the flour out. Stir regularly making sure you tuck into the edges of the pot. Stir in cream and cook another 2 minutes. Take off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Salt may not be needed depending on the salt level of your pickles.
To Serve: Place fish on plate and nap sauce on mid portion of fish. A lovely accompaniment of oven burst tomatoes with olive oil and fresh herbs and roast little potatoes would be ideal.
Serves 4-6.
How to Cook a Raw Ham
“The crackling is the best part for us, and we find that our ham is so delicious that it doesn’t need any fancy treatment. We always cook far more than we need, as cold cooked ham in the fridge is perfect for leftovers. Our hams are smoked, but uncooked. So proper cooking is essential. Most grocery store hams are fully cooked when people buy them, so cooking a raw ham is novelty for some.” –Nicola Irving, Irving’s Farm Fresh
Take ham out of the packaging and dry off the skin. Use a very sharp knife and score the skin in a ½-inch criss-cross pattern. Rub in a small amount of salt. Place into a roasting tin. Bake uncovered at 425ºF for 40 minutes, and then turn down oven to 375ºF. Bake for approximately 20 minutes per pound, ensuring internal temperature of 160ºF is reached.
If the skin is not crispy enough at the end of cooking, you can place under a broiler for a few minutes but be careful not to burn it.
Ukrainian Nachynka (Cornmeal Dressing)
“This was a family favourite passed down that was always popular for Easter and is wonderful served alongside ham. My personal favourite.” –Myles Fedun, Meuwly’s
| ½ c | unsalted butter |
| ½ c | finely chopped yellow onion |
| 1 c | yellow corn meal |
| pinch nutmeg | |
| 5 c | whole milk |
| 1 can | evaporated milk |
| 3 lg | eggs |
| ½ c | whipping cream |
| 1 t | baking powder |
| salt and pepper | |
| 2 T | butter |
Preheat oven to 350ºF and butter the bottom and sides of a 5L casserole dish or roaster. Set aside.
Sauté the onion in butter until soft and translucent over medium heat. Add the cornmeal and mix until it has soaked up all the butter.
Continue to cook for 1 minute to toast the cornmeal. Add nutmeg and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm milk and evaporated milk until simmering. Add the cornmeal mixture and cook over medium low heat until mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with cream until smooth. Slowly temper half of the cooked cornmeal mixture into the egg mixture. Be careful not to add it too quickly so the eggs do not curdle. Once half of the corn meal mixture has been added to the eggs you can add this mixture back to the remaining cornmeal. Mix thoroughly.
Stir in baking powder and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mix into your prepared buttered casserole dish. Dot the top of the cornmeal with butter like you would a pie, cover and bake for about 45 minutes. The edges should start to turn golden brown and the mixture will be set.
Remove the lid and bake for another 15 minutes until the top is golden brown as well. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 6-8.
A Danish Easter
“Easter in Denmark is celebrated with friends and family over a beautiful luncheon called Påskefrokost. The table would likely include pickled herring, gravlax, marzipan eggs, Danish Easter beer (påskebryg) and lots of snaps! Theses recipes are inspired by the Danish Easter table.” –Stephanie Moore, Three Vikings
Danish Easter: lamb, slaw and scalloped potatoes
“Historically, on the Thursday before Easter, Danes would eat a soup made from up to nine types of cabbage to ensure good health for the coming year. I have made a slaw inspired by this tradition. If you can’t get your hands on nine different types of cabbage, just use what you can find and adjust the amounts accordingly. I wasn’t able to find Romanesco so I increased the cauliflower and lacinato kale.”
| ½ c | white cabbage, shredded |
| ½ c | red cabbage, shredded |
| ½ c | savoy cabbage, shredded |
| ½ c | kale, shredded |
| ½ c | lacinato kale, shredded |
| ½ c | Brussels sprouts, shredded |
| ½ c | cauliflower, finely chopped |
| ½ c | broccoli, finely chopped |
| ½ c | Romanesco, finely chopped |
| ½ c | cooked bacon, diced |
| ⅓ c | sunflower seeds, toasted |
| ¼ c | green onion, chopped |
Dressing
| 3 T | olive oil |
| 3 T | apple cider vinegar |
| 2 T | Greek yogurt |
| 1 T | honey |
| ¼ t | salt |
| ¼ t | pepper |
Whisk the dressing ingredients, then toss with the vegetables in a large bowl.
Serves 6-10.
Ale Lamb Shanks with Caraway and Lingonberry
| 3 T | olive oil |
| 4 c | thinly sliced onion |
| 1 t | caraway seeds |
| 4 cloves | garlic, minced |
| 3 T | lingonberry jam |
| 2 T | apple cider vinegar |
| 1 t | chopped fresh thyme |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 3 c | dark ale (a Danish Easter beer if you can find it; I used Longroof Brewing 2nd Perspective porter) |
| 3 c | unsalted chicken stock |
| 1 t | salt |
| ½ t | pepper |
| 3 T | olive oil |
| 6 | lamb shanks |
| salt and pepper | |
| ¼ c | cream |
| 2 T | parsley, chopped |
Heat the oil in a large roasting pan on low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seeds.
Continue stirring for about 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in lingonberry jam, vinegar, thyme, bay, beer, stock, salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan, heat 3 T olive oil on medium-high heat. Season the shanks and brown them on all sides, 2 or 3 at a time, and then put in the roasting pan with the cooked onion mixture. If there are any brown bits in the frying pan, add some stock to loosen them up and add to the roasting pan.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Turn the lamb and let simmer for another 1½-2 hours until lamb is very tender.
Remove lamb and cover with tin foil. Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, carefully blend the braising liquid. Continue to simmer, uncovered, and reduce for 20-25 minutes until thickened. Stir in cream and check seasoning.
Pour sauce over shanks and sprinkle with parsley to serve.
Serves 6-8.
Citron Fromage
“This is a classic Danish spring dessert that my husband grew up eating. Each family will have their own spin on it.”
| 2 c | icing sugar |
| 6 | eggs |
| 1½ t | lemon zest, divided |
| ½ t | vanilla extract |
| 1¾ c | whipping cream |
| 2 pkgs | powdered gelatin |
| ¾ c | lemon juice |
| ½ c | hot water |
Using an electric mixer, mix sugar, eggs, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and vanilla until pale and fluffy. In another bowl, whip the cream until fluffy and peaks form. Set aside ½ cup. Sprinkle gelatin over lemon juice. Add ½ cup hot water and stir until dissolved. Slowly pour into egg mixture, stirring constantly. Stir in the whipping cream. Pour into 6 bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Garnish with reserved whipping cream and lemon zest.
Serves 6.
Scalloped Potatoes and Parsnips
In Denmark, scalloped potato (flødekartofler) is traditionally made with only five ingredients. I have added a few more for this version.
| 1 T | butter |
| 3 lbs | russet potato, peeled and thinly sliced |
| 3 | lg parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced |
| 1 | leek, well-rinsed and thinly sliced |
| 2 c | cream (I used coffee cream, 10 per cent milk fat) |
| 2 c | unsalted chicken stock |
| 1 | garlic clove, minced |
| 2 | t salt |
| 1 | t pepper |
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a shallow casserole dish with butter. I used a lasagne dish and it was just the right size. Cover the bottom of the dish with slices of potato, layer slices of parsnip over top. Follow with another layer of potato and then a layer of leek. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper and repeat layers until ingredients are all used up, finishing with a potato layer. Combine cream, stock, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over top.
Cook for 1 to 1¼ hours until potatoes are tender and the top is browned. Press the potatoes on top down into the cooking liquid occasionally so they don’t get dried up. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Serves 6-8.
Easter Filipino-style
“In the Philippines the Easter season is observed from Palm Sunday, followed by Holy Monday, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday, culminating on Easter Sunday. We refer to this as Semana Santa and it is the second most important cultural holiday season next to Christmas. The mood of the week is sombre with people practicing the discipline of fasting and abstinence. Maundy Thursday is the beginning of the statutory holidays and the mood shifts to a more celebratory one. Filipinos abstain from eating meat this week, opting for fish, seafood and vegetables. The recipes are for two popular Easter dishes, Ginisang Munggo and crispy pan-fried tilapia. Tilapia is a popular fish in the Philippines because of its low cost and mild flavour.
–Ariel del Rosorio, Filistix.
Ginisang Munggo (Stewed Mung Beans)
| 1 c | dried mung beans |
| 6 c | water |
| 1 T | vegetable oil |
| 1 | onion, peeled and sliced thinly |
| 3 cloves | garlic, peeled and minced |
| 1 large | tomato, chopped |
| 1 T | fish sauce |
| 2 c | chicharron (pork cracklings with attached meat) |
| 1 bunch | fresh spinach, stems trimmed |
Sort through the mung beans, discarding discolored or shriveled beans and any grit or dirt. Rinse beans in cold, running water until water runs clear. Drain well. In a large pot, combine mung beans and water. Over medium heat, bring to a boil skimming froth that floats on top. Lower heat, cover, and continue to cook for about 45-50 minutes or until the beans have softened and the skins have burst. Add more water as needed to maintain 4 cups.
In another pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until tender and aromatic. Add tomatoes and cook, mashing with the back of the spoon, until softened. Add fish sauce and continue to cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add cooked mung beans including liquid. Bring to a boil. Add pork cracklings and continue to cook until softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach, turn off heat and cover pot for about 1-2 minutes or until spinach is just wilted. Serve hot.
Serves 4-6.
Fried Tilapia
| 2 | whole tilapia (1½ lb each, scaled and gutted) |
| 2 t | salt |
| 2 T | canola oil |
Rinse the tilapia thoroughly outside and inside the cavity, then dry thoroughly with paper towel. With a sharp knife, make 3-4 deep diagonal cuts on the fleshy sides of the tilapia. Sprinkle generously outside and inside the fish with salt and allow to cure for 15-20 minutes. This will season nicely and firm up the flesh to a meaty texture.
Add the oil to a deep wok or frying pan and turn to medium to medium high heat until oil reaches 350ºF. Gently lay the fish away from you and cover with splash guard immediately as the oil will sputter and pop, guaranteed. Set time for 6-7 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. After 6-7 minutes flip the fish and fry for an additional 6-7 minutes until an amber, golden brown. Set aside on a drip rack for 5 minutes to rest and crisp up.
Serve with diced tomato and onion with a splash of soy sauce and vinegar.
Serves 2-3.