Easter Recipes with Hudson Meats!

Spiced pomegranate rack of lamb

Looking to impress this Easter? This Spiced Pomegranate Rack of Lamb is a showstopper, combining rich spices with the sweetness of pomegranate for a deliciously unique twist on a classic dish. Perfect for a family feast, this recipe will bring bold flavours to your holiday table.

Prep time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 60 minutes 
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

1 lamb rack from Hudson Meats
3 tablespoons and 1 tsp garlic olive oil and from Hudson Meats
2 tsp sherry vinegar Hudson Meats
2 tbsp yogurt
4 sprigs thyme
4 cloves crushed garlic
4 tbsp tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tsp pepper
1 onion
2 fennel bulbs sliced
2 medium fennel bulbs, sliced lengthwise
2 red onions sliced
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Method

1. Bring lamb to room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels and season with 1 tsp salt and pepper.
2. Add 1 tbsp garlic olive oil to a frying pan on medium high heat. Place lamb, fat side down and cook for 10 minutes on one side and 6 minutes on the other until both sides are browned.
3. Pre-heat oven to 200C. Place lamb (fat side up) in a lined baking tray along with sliced fennel and onions.
4. Add 2 tbsp garlic olive oil, sherry vinegar, yogurt, thyme, 4 tbsp pomegranate molasses, brown sugar, cumin powder, coriander powder, fennel seeds, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine well. Coat both sides of the lamb rack with marinade.  Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over onion and fennel lightly.
5. Roast lamb for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush 2 tsp pomegranate molasses over the top of the lamb rack. Cover lamb with aluminium foil and roast for additional 20 minutes.
6. Let lamb rest for 10 minutes before carving. 

Cherry Glazed Ham

Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients

5kg-4.5kg Black Berkshire Ham Shank
Cherry Ham Glaze
400g fresh cherries
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
Pinch sea salt flakes

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place ham on the baking tray. Using a sharp knife, remove skin (rind) from the ham – see note above – and score the fat in a diamond pattern.
3. Allow the ham to stand for 15 minutes at room temperature, meanwhile pit the cherries.
4. Place ham in the oven and bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the glaze.
5. To make the glaze, place brown sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat and stir for a minute to warm through. Add pitted cherries, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Mix well and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove cherries from the saucepan, leaving behind as much of the liquid as possible, set cherries aside.
6. Remove ham from the oven and baste with half of the glaze all over. Bake for a further 15 minutes before glazing again and baking for a final 15 minutes – the ham should turn golden and lightly caramelised.
7. Remove from oven. Wrap a clean napkin around the hock with a ribbon, adding fresh rosemary or thyme for a festive look. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the reserved glazed cherries on the side.
8. Store any unused ham in a damp ham bag in the fridge for up to 5 days, re-moistening the bag as needed.
9. Leftover sliced ham can also be frozen. Keep the hock and rind to make pea and ham soup – these can be frozen and used later as well.

Roast Saskia Beer Chicken

Servings: 4-5

Ingredients

Saskia Beer chicken from Hudson Meats
50g unsalted butter melted
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon
8 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tbsp salt
½ tbsp pepper
1/4 cup maple syrup + 2 tbsp (optional for glaze)

Stuffing

½ package of sage and thyme stuffing from Hudson Meats
3 tbsp cup raisins
4 tbsp slivered almonds

Roasted vegetables

1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 small bulb of garlic cut into half(unpeeled)
500g potatoes
450g carrots
1 large onion

Gravy

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
Liquid from pan after roasting chicken
½ cup chicken stock from Hudson Meats

Method

1. Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking, to let it come up to room temperature.
2. Grate lemon and add zest to a bowl. Cut lemon in half and juice into the same bowl. Do not discard the halves of lemon. .
3. To create the marinade, add melted butter, olive oil, minced garlic, ¼ cup maple syrup, salt and pepper to the same bowl as lemon juice and zest. Mix well.
4. Rub chicken all over with melted butter marinade and set aside.
5. To make the stuffing, microwave sage and thyme stuffing if frozen. Add raisins and almonds to stuffing and mix.
6. Preheat oven to 180C
7. Fill a baking dish with onion, carrots, potatoes and half a bulb of garlic. Season with smoked paprika and salt. Place chicken on top. Stuff cavity with sage and thyme stuffing mix, half a bulb of garlic and ½ of the lemon that was juiced before.  
8. Tie legs together with butchers twine and tuck wing tips under the body of the chicken. 
9. Brush chicken lightly with maple syrup. Cover loosely with foil and roast for 1 hour 15 minutes to prevent the skin from burning.
10. Remove chicken from the oven and discard foil. Baste with juice from the pan and maple syrup and return the chicken to the pan. Roast for further 30 minutes.
11. Remove chicken from oven and baste with juice from the pan and maple syrup. Return to oven for further 15-20 minutes. Chicken is cooked if juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part.  
12. When the chicken is cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 15 minutes or so.
13. To make the gravy, melt butter over medium heat, add flour and stir for a minute. Add the liquid from the pan and once the gravy thickens add remaining stock. Cook for 2-3 minutes and season with salt and pepper.  
14. Serve chicken with gravy and roasted vegetables. 

 Roast Turkey with Maple Glaze

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 x 4kg whole Turkey from Hudson Meats
½ portion cranberry and chestnut stuffing from Hudson Meats
Turkey gravy from Hudson Meats

Dry Brine

3 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp finely chopped thyme

Herb butter and maple glaze

150g unsalted butter
12 cloves of minced garlic
Zest from one orange
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
1 tbsp black pepper
5 cloves garlic
250ml chicken stock
100ml maple syrup
Juice from ½ orange

Method

1. Bring turkey to room temperature. Rinse under cold water and pat dry, inside and out.
2. Mix all ingredients for dry brine in a bowl.
3. Carefully loosen the skin over the breast and separate it from the meat, while leaving the skin itself intact.
4. Rub 3 tsp underneath the skin of the turkey breast and add 2-3 tsp inside the cavity. Rub the remaining brine all over the turkey (covering the back, legs and wings.
5. Tuck the wings underneath the back.
6. Place the turkey in the fridge uncovered for 24 hours.
7. Remove the turkey from the fridge and pat dry with paper towels.
8. Prepare herb butter by mixing butter, garlic, herbs, orange zest and pepper in a bowl.
9. Rub the butter mixture underneath the skin of the turkey breast and all over the turkey including the cavity.
10. Allow the turkey to marinate for an hour.
11. Mix maple syrup and orange juice and set aside.
12. Add thawed stuffing and cloves of garlic into the cavity and tie the legs together with twine.
13. Pre-heat oven to 180C.
14. Place the turkey, breast side up on a roasting rack above a roasting pan. Add chicken stock to roasting pan.
15. Cover the turkey (including pan) with foil and bake for 2 hours 30 minutes.
16. Remove foil and brush with maple glaze every 20 minutes for 1 hour. Halfway through flip the roasting pan in the opposite direction to ensure the turkey roasts evenly.
17. To check if the turkey is done, pierce the breast meat with a skewer. The turkey juices should run clear.
18. Allow the turkey to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
19. Heat turkey gravy over the stove or in the microwave. Serve with carved turkey. 

Recipe from Hudson Meats