Easter inspiration from Italy
Sample the tastes of Southern Europe with one chef’s Easter feast inspirations
“Easter is an exciting time, especially in Southern Europe,” Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli says.
Growing up in Lombardy, the Michelin-starred owner of London’s Locanda Locatelli enjoyed attending elaborate Easter processions with his parents. Roasted capretto — a milk-fed kid goat — or lamb would be at the centre of the family feast.
Lamb shanks, served with spring-fresh artichokes, make a fine Italian-inspired alternative to a classic roast leg of lamb for the holiday.
“The brilliant thing about lamb shanks is that they are virtually impossible to overcook … The meat will be meltingly tender and will just fall from the bone,” Locatelli writes in his latest cookbook, Made at Home: The Food I Cook for the People I Love (Fourth Estate, 2018).
The collection includes more than 150 family recipes that represent the various places Locatelli calls home: from North London to northern Italy, and the seaside vacation spot in Puglia he shares with his wife, Plaxy, to the restaurant they run together.
As a sharp and sweet accompaniment to his Easter lamb shanks, Locatelli recommends his fresh salad of char-grilled eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and wild garlic.
“At Easter time, aubergines are very good. … Grilled or fried, it’s super spring,” he says.
Recipes excerpted from Made at Home: The Food I Cook for the People I Love by Giorgio Locatelli, published by Fourth Estate, 2018.