Easter dishes from different countries: 5 traditional recipes
Olga Lukinskaya
This year, Easter falls on the same day. and according to the Julian calendar, which is used by the Orthodox Church, and according to the Gregorian, which the Catholics and supporters of some other faiths are guided by. Even those who are far from religious traditions, Easter is associated with Easter cakes, cottage cheese desserts and colorful eggs; in European countries, these days are extra weekends and school holidays, so everyone feels like a holiday. Last year we wrote about Easter desserts and pastries from different countries, and this time we offer a selection of five recipes for traditional dishes for this holiday, from omelet to halva.
Peru: Beef Stew
The celebration of Easter in South America is a ritual procession, concerts, street markets, fireworks and even a bull race through the streets decorated with flowers. Peruvians prepare twelve festive dishes, the main one being chiriuchu, corn stews and various types of meat. In the traditional version, guinea pig meat is used, but we have chosen an adapted version of beef.
Cooking:
Mix all the ingredients of the sauce in a blender until smooth.
Boil the water in a large saucepan. Add beef, salt, potatoes and peas and cook under cover on low heat for 45 minutes or until the meat is soft.
Add sauce, mix well and cook for 15-20 minutes. If in the end the stew turns out to be too thick, you can add a little water and mix well again.
France: scrambled eggs with mushrooms, ham and brie cheese
In the city of O (spelled Haux) in the south-west of France cooking Easter eggs reaches grotesque proportions: cooks gather in the main square of the city, where they make scrambled eggs, which you can feed up to a thousand people. This tradition has been officially supported for about three decades (although there is an opinion that it was invented by Napoleon), and one giant omelette takes more than 5,000 eggs and at least 200 kg of ham.
Ingredients:
Cooking:
Melt 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add ham, and after 3 minutes - mushrooms and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Salt, pepper and remove from heat.
Beat 3 eggs in a bowl with pepper and salt. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a medium-sized griddle over medium heat. Pour the eggs and mix with a silicone spatula for about a minute until the eggs begin to harden.
Put half the ham with mushrooms and half the cheese on the omelet surface and cook for a couple of minutes. Then fold the omelet in half and transfer to a plate. Repeat the same with the remaining ingredients.
Italy: pie with meat, cheese and eggs
In Italy, various traditions are associated with Easter: fireworks from an old carriage are launched in Florence, in the town of Panikale they organize skating competitions for cheese heads, in Sicily they arrange beautiful processions with statues, and, of course, they cook and eat a lot in all regions. We chose the Neapolitan pie recipe, which the Italians themselves call pizza chiena - “stuffed pizza”.
Ingredients:
Cooking:
Mix flour, a quarter cup of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl. Hands add to the mixture of cooking oil, forming clumps the size of a pea. Add 1 egg and knead the dough until smooth, and then add 3/4 cup ice water and continue stirring (you can do it in a blender).
Divide the dough into 2 unequal parts: 2/3 for the base of the cake and 1/3 for its surface. Roll each of them in a circle, wrap a plastic film and cool for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Beat the egg with a tablespoon of water and set aside. On a floured surface roll out a larger part of the dough so that the diameter is about 55 cm (and the thickness is about 3 mm). Place the dough in a very deep (about 10 cm) shape so that 2-3 cm of dough hang over its edges.
Lay out salami, cottage cheese, prosciutto, mozzarella, boiled eggs in layers at the bottom until the form is filled. Beat the remaining eggs, mix with parmesan, salt and pepper and pour over the top.
Roll out the second part of the dough to a diameter of about 33 cm, close the pie with it from the top and connect the edges. After that, make several cuts or punctures on the surface, brush with an egg beaten with water and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 degrees and cook for another 2.5 hours, and cool before serving.
Mexico: capyrotada
In Mexico, Easter has a two-week vacation, during which it is customary to actively travel or relax on the beach with the whole family and, of course, eat and cook traditional dishes, including kapirotadu - sweet bread pudding. On Saturday, on the eve of Easter, in many cities the ritual burning of the figure of the traitor Judas made of papier-mâché takes place - and, of course, the competition for the size and originality of the dummy itself. Last year, Donald Trump's images were especially popular.
Ingredients:
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Cut buns into centimeter thick slices, brush with butter on both sides, put on cooking paper and dry in the oven for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from oven and let cool.
Pour water into a large saucepan and add cane sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and cook the syrup for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and leave for 2 hours. Strain and throw away the cinnamon and cloves.
Lubricate the form with butter or spray against sticking and put the ingredients in the following order: one third of dried bread, one third of raisins, one third of cheese, and a half cups of syrup. After 15 minutes, put the next third of the components in the same order, and after 15 minutes - the last one, and leave for another 15 minutes.
Cover with foil treated with anti-stick spray and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese becomes golden brown. Serve warm pudding.
Brazil: Peanut Halva
The main Brazilian entertainment - the carnival - takes place 7 weeks before Easter, and on Saturday, on the eve of the holiday, another mini-carnival is organized in many regions to mark the end of a long post. Following the US in Brazil, the "hunt" for chocolate Easter eggs is gaining popularity, but traditional desserts are not losing ground.
Ingredients:
Cooking:
Grind the peanuts in a blender, not bringing to the state of peanut butter. Transfer to a bowl. Add sugar, salt, milk and bread crumbs, mix with a wooden or plastic spoon until smooth. Lubricate the palm of your hand with oil and knead the dough until flexible and uniform.
Transfer the mixture to an oiled form. Well press to the bottom and walls of the form with your hands or a spoon, smooth the surface.
Place for 3 hours in the freezer. Cut into squares and decorate each with a nut. Halvah is best eaten chilled or at room temperature.
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