Chefs’ Easter Memories

While painted eggs and chocolate rabbits are the spring holiday’s staples, Easter brings back memories of family traditions and food among some of our favorite chefs. Read on to see which chef’s entire family was involved in Easter supper… and who forgot where they hid the Easter eggs.

Jose Garces

For Ecuadorian American chef, restaurant owner, and Iron chef Jose Garces, Easter was all about family in the kitchen preparing fanesca, a rich and complex soup of milk-soaked salt cod, squash, beans, grains, and herbs.

“For Ecuadorians, fanesca is the main culinary attraction for Easter. It is only prepared once each year to celebrate Good Friday,” he said. Garces’ favorite memory was from a childhood Easter spent in Ecuador, when his entire family – aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, parents – were hard at work soaking, shucking, peeling, and blanching the components for days. “Having the whole family involved in the preparation is what makes it so special,” Garces said. “Some believe that the twelve different beans and grains in this soup represent each of the Twelve Apostles, so there’s a bit of religious significance.”

If you want to try the traditional Ecuadorian dish, you had better move fast. Although markets and restaurants offer fanesca during Holy Week, once the week is over, that’s it. Fortunately, Garces has included a fanesca recipe from his new cookbook, The Latin Road Home for you to enjoy anytime.

Josh Capon

Chef and television personality Josh Capon may not celebrate Easter in the traditional sense, but he still serves up some delectable lamb dishes. “Being a Greek Jew, Easter for me is just a nice meal with my family,” he says. “Last year we did make colored Easter eggs with my kids and when I told them to hide them they did just that. Let’s just say the apartment started to stink of rotten eggs a few days later!” Capon loves his lamb, and often runs several specials at his restaurants, including roasted leg of lamb and flavorful gyros.

Joanne Weir

As a cookbook author, chef, teacher and television personality, Joanne Weir has a lot on her plate, especially around the holidays.

“Years ago I planned this fabulous Easter picnic in Sonoma. It was a gorgeous blue-sky day, accompanied with a big picnic basket with lots of delicious food including my famous deviled eggs,” she said of one of her favorite Easter memories. “Somehow, the container holding the deviled eggs inadvertently got turned over, and when we opened the container, the deviled eggs looked like egg salad!”

Don’t worry, Weir’s guests said the deviled egg salad dish still tasted good. She has included the recipe for you to try, and says the dish works both ways, in case you meet the same delicious mishap!

Zarela Martinez

Cookbook author and restaurateur Zarela Martinez has many fond memories of a loving and delicious Easter with her family. “I always looked forward to Easter, especially getting dolled up in frilly lilac, baby blue, pink, and yellow dresses with lace and ribbons galore. We looked like hand-painted Easter eggs!” she said.

Martinez loved hunting for eggs in the rueda, or center courtyard of her fortress-like family home, which was built by the original owner, an English Lord named James Delaval Beresford. All about tradition, Martinez remembers the food as the star attraction to her Easter holiday. “A special treat at this time were the machitos, lamb tenderloin wrapped tightly with milk tripe, grilled and served with salsa ranchera made with roasted chiles, on piping hot flour tortillas. Delicioso!”

Mary Sue Milliken

American chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Mary Sue Milliken adores Easter eggs. A favorite memory of Milliken’s is when she and her family color dozens of eggs each year, as she dreams up new ways to eat them.

“Of course there are many ways to snazz up deviled eggs,” says Milliken. “Garnished with sticks of chipotle bacon or served with an anchovy toast soldier are my favorites. I always sieve the yolks into a bowl, then use mayo and crème fraiche (that’s the ticket!) to moisten to just the right consistency, then season with salt and pepper,” she said of modernizing the classic dish.

Milliken also recommends using the hard boiled eggs in a salad. She prefers a salad with butter lettuce and a mustardy vinaigrette. For a twist on the classic enchilada, Milliken serves up papadzules, which are similar to enchiladas but are instead stuffed with hard boiled eggs and topped with a chile tomato salsa and a toasted pepita salsa. 

Lorena Garcia

For Venezuelan-born chef, restaurateur, TV host, and author Lorena Garcia, Easter was always a moment of reflection and peace. She remembers the food surrounding the meal as extra special.

“My grandmother and mother would not allow us to eat any kind of red meat on Good Friday,” she said, observing the Lenten season. “So different types of fish preparation would dominate our table.”

Always on the look out for sweets, Garcia’s favorite dessert on the holiday was chocoflan, a combination of a chocolate cake topped with a caramel flan. 

Next, get the recipes for Jose Garces’ Fanesca and Joanne Weir’s Spicy Deviled Eggs…

Jose Garces’ Fanesca

• 1 pound boneless, skinless salt cod fillet
• milk, for soaking 
• 1 cup dried baby lima beans
• 1 cup dried kidney beans
• 1 cup dried cannellini beans
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 2 Spanish onions, diced, about 2 cups
• 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon achiote paste
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground