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the dish > Recipes
Easter and Recipes from around the world
Looking for a fresh take on your Easter celebrations this year?
Go Greek. The foods eaten at Greek Orthodox Easter — lamb,
wild greens, fresh cheese — make perfect fare for a spring
feast.
Aglaia Kremezi, author of The Foods of Greece and
The Foods of the Greek Islands, offers two menus. "Easter in
Greece is the biggest holiday of the year — even bigger than
Christmas," says Kremezi. "On Easter eve, everyone goes
to Midnight Mass and then eats a late supper of a special soup made
from lamb innards. The next morning, the men get up really early
to start the fire to roast a whole small lamb on a spit. The extended
family gathers, waiting for the lamb to cook, eating hard-boiled
eggs and other snacks, and drinking wine and ouzo. Then, finally,
the meal is ready, and everyone feasts at tables set up right in
the fields."
— Sarah Kagan
EASTER LAMB SOUP
MAGIRITSA
Editor's note: This recipe is excerpted from Aglaia
Kremezi's book The Foods of Greece.
To read more about Kremezi and Greek Easter, click
here.
Magiritsa is made with the parts of the lamb not used
for the spit-roasted Easter lamb, which is usually very small (about
20 pounds). In the classic recipe, all the innards — heart,
lungs, and so forth — go into the pot, but they do not really
contribute to the taste. The flavor of the stock comes from the
boiled head and neck, and the soup gets its distinctive taste from
scallions, fresh dill, and the egg-and-lemon mixture.
There are lots of different magiritsa recipes. A friend
described to me the one her family prepared in Halki, a small island
that is part of the Dodecanese. In her family's version, no innards
were used because, in Halki as in all the Dodecanese, they do not
roast the lamb on the spit but instead stuff it with rice and the
innards. So in Halki's magiritsa, many lambs' heads were boiled
to make a very tasty stock, to which egg and lemon sauce is added
at the end. The heads were not boned, but as they cooked for many
hours, even their bones became soft. Each member of the family got
one head and ate it with the broth. No scallions or dill were added
to the magiritsa.
My recipe for Easter soup was given to me by my cousin's
wife, Katy Kremezi, whose mother came from Smyrna (Izmir) in Asia
Minor.
click photo to enlarge
Head, neck, some intestines, and liver of a young lamb or 3 pounds
lamb bones
2 large onions, halved
Sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups finely chopped scallions
1 small chili pepper, minced, or freshly ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh dill
2 eggs
Juice of 1 1/2-2 lemons
Wash the lamb head and neck thoroughly and place in a pot with the
onions. Cover with cold water, season with salt, and simmer for
about 1 hour, skimming the surface several times.
Cut the intestines into several pieces and wash thoroughly under
running water. If you like, slice them open so you can wash them
more easily. In a separate pan, bring some salted water to a boil
and add the intestines. Blanch for 2 minutes, then remove with a
skimmer and discard the water. Chop the intestines finely. You don't
need more than 1 cup of chopped intestines.
The head and neck are done when the meat falls from
the bones. Remove them from the pot. Using a sharp knife, cut open
the head and separate the meat from the bones. Remove the meat from
the neck and cut all the meat into small pieces. Strain the stock
and discard the onions. Let the stock cool and remove the fat. (Up
to this point, the preparations can be made a day ahead. You can
refrigerate the meat and the stock, making it easier to skim off
the fat.)
To finish the soup, wash the liver well and cut it
into small cubes. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté
the liver with the scallions and chili pepper, if using. Add the
finely chopped meat and intestines, together with 1 cup of the dill,
and turn a few times with a wooden spoon. Transfer the mixture to
a pot and add the stock plus an equal amount of water, and bring
to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Taste
and add more pepper and salt if needed.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl with about 2 spoonfuls
of water and the juice of 1 lemon. Slowly add cupfuls of the hot
soup to the bowl, beating continuously with the whisk. When the
egg mixture is very hot, pour it slowly into the pot, stirring well,
over very low heat, to prevent curdling. Taste and add more lemon
juice if needed. Sprinkle with the rest of the dill, and serve immediately.
NOTE: Some people add 1/2 to 1 cup short-grain rice
to the soup.
If you hate the taste of boiled lamb, you can make
an equally tasty magiritsa with chicken livers and chicken stock.
There is even a meatless magiritsa. Sauté the scallions and
dill, adding a few chopped leaves of romaine lettuce. Pour in water
or stock and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Make the egg and lemon
mixture as described above and serve.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Recipe from The Foods of Greece
© 1999
by Aglaia Kremezi
Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
____________________________________________________________________________
LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH GREENS AND FETA
ARNI GEMISTO ME HORTA KE FETA
Editor's note: This recipe is excerpted from Aglaia Kremezi's book
The Foods of the Greek Islands.
To read more about Kremezi and Greek Easter, click
here.
This recipe comes from Andros, and it is one of the
most delicious ways to cook a whole Easter spring lamb or kid. The
various spring wild greens on the island, seasoned with fennel,
mint and other aromatic herbs, together with the local slightly
sour fresh cheese, are used to make the stuffing. In my version,
instead of a whole tiny lamb, I use a shortened leg of lamb (shank
half) partly boned, to make room for the stuffing. The result is
quite different but equally enticing.
Serve with Roasted Potatoes with Garlic, Lemon, and
Oregano.
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 fennel bulb, trimmed (fronds and tender stalks reserved), halved
and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced scallions (white and most of the green
parts)
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic, plus 2 garlic cloves, quartered
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mixed greens (such as baby spinach,
tender Swiss chard leaves, miner's lettuce, pea shoots, orache,
green amaranth, outer leaves of escarole or romaine lettuce, and/or
beet greens)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, preferably freshly ground or crushed in
a mortar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 3 1/2-to-4 pound half leg of lamb (shank half), some fat left
on, shank bone left in, hip end of bone removed (have the butcher
do this, or see Note)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus more if needed
1/2 cup chopped fennel fronds plus tender stalks, or fresh dill
In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the fennel bulb
over medium heat until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the scallions
and chopped garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the
greens and sauté, stirring, until wilted. Remove from the
heat and stir in the fennel seeds and pepper to taste. Let cool,
and then add the mint.
Make 8 small slits randomly in the lamb and insert the garlic quarters.
Transfer half of the greens mixture to a small bowl.
Add the cheese to the greens remaining in the skillet. Taste and
adjust the seasonings, adding salt if necessary (Feta is usually
quite salty). Stuff the lamb with the cheese mixture, squeezing
it to extract the excess juices; add some of the remaining greens
if needed; the lamb should be well stuffed. Close the opening with
toothpicks. Rub the lamb all over with the remaining greens. Cover
and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
Preheat the over to 450°F.
Scrape the greens off the surface of the lamb and
reserve. Brush the lamb with oil and sprinkle with the oregano and
salt and pepper to taste. Place the lamb in a roasting pan that
just holds it comfortably, preferably clay or Pyrex one. Roast for
20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the wine to
a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Add the reserved greens.
Pour the greens mixture over the lamb and roast for
5 minutes more. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and roast
the lamb, basting frequently with the pan juices, adding a little
more wine to the pan if necessary, for about 30 minutes longer,
or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest
part of the meat registers 135°F for medium. Remove the lamb
from the oven, sprinkle with the chopped fennel or dill, cover with
aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.
Carve the lamb and serve, passing the pan juices in
a bowl or sauceboat at the table.
NOTE: Alternatively, you can use a butterflied leg
of lamb. Spread the stuffing over the lamb, roll it up and tie it.
Marinate and roast as directed.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Reprinted from The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture
at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean
2000
by Aglaia Kremezi
Houghton Mifflin Company
_____________________________________________________________________________
ROASTED POTATOES WITH GARLIC, LEMON, AND OREGANO
PATATES RIGANATES
This recipe is excerpted from Aglaia Kremezi's book The Foods of
the Greek Islands.
Few people can resist these potatoes, which are capable
of stealing the show from any food they accompany — so make
sure you have plenty for seconds. Although it is served all over
Greece, this dish is particularly good on islands like Naxos, where
the local potatoes have an exceptional taste. On the special days
when a leg of lamb or a chicken is roasted, the potatoes are cooked
in its juices.
If you want to cook this dish using small potatoes,
there is no need to peel them, but I suggest that you halve them,
because they taste best when they can absorb more sauce.
3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch
cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup beef stock or chicken stock
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place the potatoes in a single layer in a 13-x-9-inch baking dish
and pour the oil over them. Add the garlic, dried oregano, salt
and pepper to taste and toss well to coat with the oil.
Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes. Add the stock, toss
and bake for 10 minutes more. Add the lemon juice, toss and bake
for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
If you like, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 to
3 minutes, or until golden brown.
Sprinkle with the fresh oregano and serve at once.
Variation:
Dissolve 1 tablespoon tomato paste in the stock, and reduce the
amount of lemon juice to taste. Substitute Aleppo pepper or crushed
red pepper flakes for the black pepper.
Hint: For faster cooking put potatoes in microwave for 5 minutes
two times. This cooks them faster.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Reprinted from The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture
at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean
2000
by Aglaia Kremezi
Houghton Mifflin Company
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