Easter - done✓ Now I can relax

This is Australia. It's not spring, it's autumn. So there is no connection to the symbolism of the pagan fertility, or the Christian rebirth. And yet, of course we celebrate. And indeed in Australia, which is extremely multicultural and multi-religious or not at all, everyone nevertheless celebrates. Common features?

Number one - long, long weekend, and this year the added bonus of a second long weekend because of ANZAC Day, meaning a 10 day break with only three holiday leave days required. So everyone took to the road, and the air - so many planes flying over on Saturday.

Number two - The Easter Bunny - and there he is arriving at our home where all the grandchildren and their immediate older relatives, grandparents, aunts and uncles were gathered to find the eggs that Alfred - the Easter Bunny's nephew had left for them to find. Maybe it's a little sad, but none of our grandchildren believe in the Easter Bunny. any more - well the oldest are in their late teens. Our last grandchild, now ten, has finally let go. They all, nevertheless, insisted on an Easter egg hunt at our house, complete with the Easter bunny. There was no way we were going to avoid it.

Number three - chocolate - eggs, bunnies, just chocolate. So much chocolate. I think I shall have to find some way of hiding it from ourselves. Rationing as post war - one tiny piece per night after dinner perhaps. And yet our lovely grandchildren, from a very early age, have instigated the tradition, of, once the eggs are found they retreat to the living room and share them out equally plus a batch for the poor children. Which I have to rescue from my chocoholic husband and put in the community food dropbox in the local supermarket. Tomorrow. I might add a few of the many that we have been left.

Number four - a barbecue. Theoretically it's the time of year of the great Australian barbecue and I'm sure that our numerous parks and beaches were full of groups of friends and families gathered round a barbecue eating sausages and various pieces of meat. Not forgetting the prawn on the barbie of course. This is a photograph of one from a few years ago, when we all took to the park for a barbecue. Yesterday's of course, was to be in our backyard.

But this is Melbourne, and the first stress of many leading up to an ultimately joyous event, was the weather forecast. Possible - nay probable rain. Would we be able to have the Easter egg hunt outside? Would we be able to barbecue? As the big day approached the weather forecast gradually became more optimistic, but there was still doubt. Indeed as we awoke on the big day it was raining - quite steadily. However, amazingly, there was no more, the sun came out and we were even able to eat outside. So a barbecue was back on the cards.

I won't go into the usual stress of preparing the house, and the Easter stress of how many eggs, where to hide them, the clues ... Suffice to say that the hunt too was a great success. The best ever they said.

But food. Well it is a foodie blog. Also a stress, although, if I'm honest, entirely self-induced. After all we could have just thrown things on the barbecue and bought a cake - or made a simple one. But this is me so what did I cook.? Saved by the bell as it were, we barbecued - a small piece of lamb, some fairly simply marinaded chicken - mostly tomato, some yoghurt and a bit of wine and vinegar. Which also coated the roasting potatoes - in the oven. And sausages of course.

First course was mostly sorted by my fellow grandmother who brought delicious prawns and smoked ocean trout, which was boosted by salami and ham for the non fish eaters. And for my vegetarian granddaughter - and anyone else within reach Ottolenghi's Hot charred cherry tomatoes with cold yoghurt.

I have been meaning to make this for a long time as, not only did it look utterly delicious in the pictures, but various other bloggers, and my foodie friend also raved. Moreover it had the advantage of hardly any work required and is also speedy to ccok. Alas I didn't get to taste it. It was at the other end of the table and it was virtually all gone anyway by the time I got t o find my place at the table and sit down to eat. So I shall have to make it again.

As I have said, the mains were pretty unadventurous - and easily cookable in the oven if it had rained. But I did need something for the vegetarian in our midst. Since the barbecue was probably going to be a feature - maybe hopefully was a better word - I thought some kind of vegetarian patties would be the answer and after a lot of searching, mostly centring on corn which were the best buy in vegetables of the moment, I finally settled on Pea fritters with za'atar and feta - again from Ottolenghi.

I hadn't really been able to find a pattie that suited you see, but pondered on whether these fritters could be barbecued, or whether I would have to fry. In the end I went for the fried option. However, I admit that this meant my fritters broke up a bit - probably because I didn't deep fry, which I think I was supposed to - and so had to turn them over a couple of times, because the advice was to shape them into croquettes rather than flat patties. So I was reassured today, to find that The Washington Post had obviously gone for flat patties, and also that delicious. had modified the final part of the recipe somewhat by freezing the formed croquettes for a couple of hours, and also breadcrumbing them. Which made it rather more complicated. I will try again because the basic mixture was very quick and easy to assemble and the taste was lovely. I should have either shaped them differently or else deep-fried. Official Ottolenghi version on the left, delicious. on the right.

I boosted my mains with two salads, which I should have made the day before, but I admit I got a bit tired and left it to the day, which was fine, but did mean a bit more pressure on the day.

The first of these was decided by my purchase of some brussels sprouts, broccolini and green beans. They looked good and were cheap. So I browsed the net and eventually found Roasted broccoli and brussels salad from a website called Giadzy, which I think is a maker of olive oil. I think the thing that sucked me in was the final garnish of diced Parmesan, sliced medjool dates, and chopped smoked almonds. Fundamentally you roast the vegetables - the brussels being sliced, dress them - a fairly simple lemony dressing and finally top and mix with those dates, nuts and cheese. It was really pretty nice and I will try it again some day. I'm not sure about the Parmesan though. I added the beans because I had them, and because I thought it would work - and it did. And I had broccolini - stalks and all, which I sliced at an angle, not broccoli.

Then back to Ottolenghi - well not really - to Ixta Belfrage who wrote Flavour with him, and whose recipe you can find on the Copy Me That site. Now this was indeed easy, and very flavoursome. The surprise ingredient was dried apricots, and I have to say the Coles Turkish dried apricots, were delicious and soft. Not chewy at all. Roasted salted peanuts as a garnish were a bit unexpected too. And, of course, it being Ixta Belfrage there was chilli - a moderate amount from me of course. There are leftovers, although not a lot - they were pretty popular - and they can be eaten again - just is, or mixed into something else. Yes this one was a keeper.

Dessert. This magnificent looking Baklava cheesecake from Coles. If you like, the most ordinary source, and actually the most complicated dish to make. Done the day before of course. And I now see that I should have just trimmed off the extra filo around the top, rather than scrunching it up to make a very bulky edge. It might have improved the look somewhat. Honestly it was a bit of a faff, and although pretty nice, I'm not sure it was worth the effort. Somebody even didn't finish their portion. So no. The recipe has not been kept.

So yes. Easter done - ✓ Today I am fasting - which I really should and also because it gives me a chance to relax and contemplate the various leftovers now waiting in the fridge for me to do something, at least vaguely interesting, with.