Back at Mum and Dad’s house in my home village of Talaván we have a series of long Easter lunches and late evening meals, talking into the early hours. We always walk out to see the Semana Santa processions which snake around the old cobbled streets. My mother plans Easter weeks in advance. In the days leading up to the long weekend, vegetables start to be picked from the garden, fish starts to be bought from the market, pots and pans bubble away on the stove. The Easter Sunday meal is always centred around the smell of lamb cooking slowly – filling the house with magical aromas. It’s an aroma that never fails to make me yearn to be back in my old home. I used to spend hours at Easter in my father’s garden, deliriously happy to be away from school and out in the fresh air.
Cured cod, with fennel, apple and marjoram salad
All recipes serve 6
cod fillet 450g piece
water 1.2 litres
caster sugar 120g
sea salt 90g
fennel seeds 2 tsp
orange zest of 1
marjoram 2 or 3 fresh sprigs
extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle
for the salad:
fennel 1 bulb
apple 1 crunchy fruit
marjoram 2 tbsp of leaves
lemon juice of 1
extra-virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
The day before, wash the cod under cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel and put in a non-metal container. Heat the water and add the sugar, salt, fennel seeds and orange zest. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, remove from the heat and cool completely. Pour the cooled brine over the fish, add the marjoram and cover. Chill for 24 hours. Remove the cod from the brine. Pat dry.
To make the salad, slice the fennel as finely as you can (a mandolin is best) and place in a bowl. Finely slice the apple into matchsticks and toss with the fennel. Add the marjoram leaves, lemon juice and olive oil and season well. Toss together.
Remove the skin from the cod and slice it as thinly as possible. Divide between six plates or on a large platter and drizzle with oil. Pile the salad on to the centre of the plates or platter and serve at once.
Slow-cooked shoulder of lamb, with fennel, anchovies and olives
fennel bulbs 3, finely sliced
olive oil to drizzle
spring lamb 2.3-2.5kg of shoulder
chicken stock 400ml, fresh
dry white wine a good glass
marinated anchovies 6-8
black olives 125g
Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C.
Place the fennel in a roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil and plenty of seasoning. Season the lamb well and put on top of the fennel with half the stock and the white wine. Cover with tin foil. Roast for 2 hours, uncover. Chop the anchovies and stir into the sauce with the black olives, and pour in the other half of the stock. Cook for a further 90 minutes, until tender and falling apart.
Spoon the fennel on to a warmed serving plate and place the lamb on top. Pour the juices into a jug and scoop off most of the fat, then pour over the lamb and bring to the table.
Sautéed peas and asparagus with poached egg and chorizo migas
cooking chorizo 100g
bread 100g, stale and crusty
olive oil 4 tbsp
butter a knob
banana shallot 1, chopped
asparagus 18 spears
peas 200g, fresh
dry white wine a small glass
eggs 6, free-range
white-wine vinegar 6 tsp
Make the chorizo migas. Chop the chorizo into small pieces. Heat a pan with half the oil over a medium heat and cook the chorizo until it releases all its oiliness. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Tear the bread into small pieces, add to the pan and fry until they are golden and crisp. Toss with the reserved chorizo, season with a little salt and set aside.
Bring a large pan of water to boil for the eggs. Heat the remaining oil and the butter in a pan and gently fry the chopped shallot until soft and golden. Slice the asparagus into 3cm lengths and add to the pan with the peas. Splash in the white wine, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Reduce the water to barely a simmer. Crack each egg into a small ramekin and add 1 tsp of white-wine vinegar. Gently tip into the water one at a time. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the white is set, but the yolk is still runny. Spoon the peas and asparagus into six shallow bowls. Top each with a poached egg and scatter with the chorizo migas.
Chocolate con churros
plain flour 250g
baking powder 1 tsp
butter 60g, melted unsalted
boiling water 350-375ml
sunflower or vegetable oil 1.5 litres, for deep frying
caster sugar a little to coat
dark chocolate 200g, good quality
golden syrup 3 tbsp
double cream 200ml
Break the chocolate into pieces and heat gently in a small pan with the syrup and cream, stirring now and then, until mixed. Keep warm.
To make the churros, put the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Pour over the melted butter and boiling water. Mix with a balloon whisk to form a batter. Stand, covered with a tea towel, for 15 minutes, then put in a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm star nozzle.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan until it reaches 180C. Squeezing the bag quite firmly, pipe out 10cm lines of the dough into the oil, using your fingers or scissors to cut them into the oil, and wait a few seconds before piping the next one. Cook the churros for 2-3 minutes, then flip over and fry on the other side until dark golden and crisp all over. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain really well on kitchen paper. Toss with the caster sugar and serve with the warm chocolate sauce.
David Williams: wine to accompany your Spanish Easter feast
José Pizarro opens his third restaurant, José Pizarro, on 17 April at 36 Broadgate Circle, London EC2 (josepizarro.com). Next week: José’s Spanish spring recipes.
Nigel Slater returns in a fortnight
Follow the Observer Magazine on Twitter @ObsMagazine
