AN EASTER FEAST
Make the most of the last warm evenings at a barbecue celebration with a Mediterranean twist
Ah, these last glorious days of warmth … the days parading by blue-skied and breathless, the landscape transforming in a crescendo of fiery hues. There’s a stillness that makes time feel suspended, as if nature is holding its breath.
Soon enough winter will come with an icy blast and send us all scurrying inside, but for now the great outdoors holds us in its thrall. There are walks and swims still to be had, foraging for wild mushrooms, blackberries, pears and nuts, pine cones to collect and the first chestnuts to roast.
Easter falls late this year, but luckily summer’s weather lingers on — and with it the chance to tip tradition on its head with a delicious outdoor Easter feast.
It’s worth going to the effort of building a fire to cook on, rather than just turning on the gas barbecue. Cooking over the embers is a wonderfully romantic way to cook. It forces you to be actively engaged and present and you need patience and diligence to tame the flames and time everything you are cooking.
There’s a deftness to cooking like this, tuning into the heat and the ever-shifting nature of the flames, but it’s easy to master and you will feel justly rewarded for your efforts as the taste of food cooked over a wood-fired barbecue is unrivalled.
Be sure to use untreated timber and don’t use any chemical fire starters or wood from bay trees, oleander, or any other poisonous plants. Pine cones make a great fire starter and once it is roaring, you can start to build up the fire base with heavier pieces of wood. You want to make a big enough fire that you can rake some of the coals off to one side to cook on, while still keeping the main fire burning. That way you can keep feeding the fire with fresh coals as needed, rather than running out of heat. Wait until the coals are burning red and have started to accumulate some white ash — this is when the heat is at its most dense.
Here’s to celebrating the swansong of summer with this simple Easter barbecue feast. Add in a green salad, roast potatoes and/or a platter of roasted beets, carrots and red onion wedges, roasted with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, cooled and tossed with some rocket and a crumble of feta.
With all the Easter eggs to be had, you won’t be needing dessert.