Easter treats for the weekend

Roasted chestnuts

Score your chestnuts with a small sharp knife on the flat end then grill over the fire. Peel and eat them with a little sea salt on the side.

Slow braised leg of lamb with sweet parsnips

Cut a leg of lamb into nice big chunks and toss in seasoned flour. Sear in olive oil and set aside. In a separate creuset cook roughly chopped onion, garlic, carrot, celery and parsnip until slightly caramelized.

Add in the lamb, white wine and chicken stock and a couple of bay leaves to cover. Cook on a slow oven with the lid on until the lamb is tender. Serve with big bowls of creamy mash and minted peas.

Stephanie’s Quince and raisin strudel

Peel and grate coarsely 2-3 quinces, and mix with ½ cup sugar and a handful of seedless raisins and a handful of toasted flaked almonds. Add ground cinnamon too if you like. Make a stack of four filo pastry sheets brushing them with melted butter and scattering it with ground almonds. Arrange a log of fruit filling down the centre of the filo, then roll up and place on a baking tray seam side down. Brush with melted butter and bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool, then slice and serve with cream.

A couple of things to remember...

If you are foraging for wild mushrooms, when in doubt throw it out! Many mushrooms are highly poisonous so make sure you can identify them well. The pine mushroom which we collect in the forest at Essington Park are large and fleshy with the caps, Gilles and stems of the mushroom being bright orange. When sliced it oozes an orange red juice that turns green if the mushroom is not cooked at once. It is an autumn mushroom and is found all over Australia except for Queensland.

Go easy on the road if you are travelling and make sure you stop to take a break and discover cute little things or culinary secrets whilst passing through the townships.

Pick up a dozen special Easter cupcakes from your nearest Simmone Logue store…. We are doing cute little pink ones with candied carrots on top and blue ones with Bugs Bunny.

HAPPY EASTER!