Roast Leg of Lamb: A Greek Easter Dish

I've never made roast leg of lamb before. My friend Erma offered to come over and make it, so I figured why not, we'll try something new.

No one in my family is a huge fan of lamb. Gran Fran, my mom, pretty much despises the smell and taste of it. We have said in the past that it tastes like static and that we'd rather not eat it. When my friend Erma asked if I'd like to learn to cook a leg of lamb, I immediately said yes. Even though I wasn't thrilled about eating it (which I committed to as we were going to all of the trouble to make it), I was excited to learn how to make something new. With the amount of cooking that I do, it's rare occasion when I find a dish I've never made.

The leg of lamb was very simple to make. Erma went to a great butcher shop and got us a really nice leg of lamb. The recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients, but in large quantities. The flavors of the garlic, lemon and oregano really permeates the meat to give it a really fresh flavor against the very strong meatiness of the lamb.

 When it was fully roasted, I gave it a taste. I have to say, it's the first lamb I've ever eaten where I took a second bite by choice. It's still not my favorite, but I could see myself making this for a crowd sometime.

Click here to see how to cut a leg of lamb

Greek-Style Roast Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:

• 1 large leg of lamb
• 6 loves garlic
• 3 lemons, juiced
• 1 cup oregano
• 5 tablespoons salt
• 5 tablespoons fresh ground pepper

Method:

Prepare the Lamb: The day before you plan to serve it:

1. Cut slits through the fat of the lamb, each one big enough for  a clove of garlic.
2. Stuff garlic cloves into the slits, pushing garlic well into the meat.
3. Pour lemon juice over the lamb, rubbing it all over both sides of the meat.
4. Coat with oregano and salt and pepper, again making sure to cover as much of the surface area of the meat on all sides with the spices.
5. Cover and refrigerate over night.

note: if you don't have a whole night to marinade the meat, 2 to 10 hours in the fridge will work.

Cook the Lamb:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for at least 25 minutes.
2. Cook for 30 minutes, making sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
3. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and continue roasting for about an hour.
4. Remove the meat from the oven when a meat thermometer reads 135 degrees.
5. Let rest for ten minutes and then carve (see above for a link to a carving video)

Chicken, honey? Sure, but it's Honey Chicken.

One night, a few months ago, just when I started shooting almost every meal I made for this here site, my friend came to dinner.

She is a lovely tiny woman. But she can eat. Which is just the kind of friends I love to have. When she arrived, I realized I hadn't come up with a main dish. There were some chicken thighs in the fridge, so I started there. As I thought about what else I had in the house, I came across some fresh oregano and sherry vinegar. The recipe began to form in my head, all I needed was some lemon and a bit of honey and we were off and cooking.

It's a simple affair, if a little messy. I started by heating a pan to super hot, added some oil and salt and put the chicken thighs in skin side down. The fat splatters, so be ready for a little bit of cleanup. The extra step of searing these on the stove top before baking them makes the skin come out super crisp and delicious.

The key to this dish is the combination of the honey, sherry vinegar and oregano. You add these just before the chicken goes into a hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes. And let me tell you, the chicken comes out moist, a little sweet, and very tender. I served it with some roasted brussels sprouts and a quinoa salad. Most delicious.

This past weekend, I found myself with some chicken thighs and recreated the dish for my daughter. She ate two pieces and asked that I save the others for her dinner the next night. A hit, if I do say so myself, and a dish that is so quick to make, I can do it on a weeknight while helping with homework.

So if you are asked "Chicken, honey?" I hope that you respond "Sure, but it's Honey Chicken."

Honey Chicken with Oregano and Sherry Vinegar

makes 4 portions

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken thighs, skin-on and with bones
• 4 Tbsps Olive Oil
• A pinch of Salt
• 3 sprigs fresh Oregano (or 1 tsp Dried Oregano)
• 3/4 cup Sherry Vinegar (Red Wine Vinegar works here, or just some leftover White Wine is good, too)
• 2 Tbsps Honey (I like the dark amber kind)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Heat up a large non-reactive skillet over high heat.
3. Put the olive oil and salt in the pan once it is super hot (technical term).
4. Place the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side down.
5. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin starts to curl up on the edges.
6. Turn the thighs over. Cook for 1 minute more.
7. Turn off the heat. Add the sherry vinegar.
8. Turn the heat back on and cook for 2 minutes.
9. Add the honey, turn off the heat and put the pan in the preheated oven.
10. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken juice runs clear.
11. Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, and then dig in.

Stuffed Zucchini, Vegan-Style

Stuffed zucchini is a delight. I haven't made it in awhile, since I used to cover it in cheese and can no longer do so, dairy-free me and all.

I realized that if I were to put something else with a nice strong flavor in the stuffing, that could complement the mellow sweetness of the zucchini, I might be able to make this taste just as good without the cheese.

Last week, I made this Onion & Shallot Marmalade (click here for the recipe) and thought it could be the perfect accompaniment for the zucchini.

I was right. It added texture and also flavor, both savory and sweet.

Though I did  replace the regular bread with a gluten-free variety (Udi's), all the other ingredients are the same as what Gran Fran always used to make hers. It took me awhile to remember that you have to steamed the zucchini before you stuff and bake it. I did also fry the bread briefly before adding it to the stuffing, to make sure it browned and didn't soak up too much of the oil from the onion & shallot marmalade.

My daughet managed to eat the first batch of chantarelles that I sauteed and I couldn't quite remember how long to cook them in the oven, but in the end, they turned out great. I even managed to get a non-vegetable lover to eat this without any complaint,  and of course, I loved it, too.

 Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

• 6 Zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 lb. Chanterelles, cleaned and chopped coarsely
• 2 pieces Rice Bread, cubed
• 4 to 5 sprigs fresh Oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
• 6 Tbsps Olive Oil
• 1 recipe Onion & Shallot Marmalade (click here for the recipe)
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Steam the zucchini halves until just soft. Do not cook them all the way through, just enough that the meat of the squash is soft to the touch.
3. Remove the zucchini and allow it to cool.
4. While you are steaming the squash, heat a saute pan large enough to hold the bread cubes in one layer.
5. Add the 1/2 of the oil, the oregano, some salt and the bread cubes. Lower the heat to medium.
6. Sautee the bread for about 4 minutes, keeping the cubes moving with a wooden spoon so that they don't burn, but just brown.
7. Remove the bread cubes from the pan and set them aside in a medium bowl.
8. Return the saute pan to high heat, and add the remaining olive oil.
9. Add the chanterelle mushrooms to the pan and cook until nicely browned.
10. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and add them to the bowl with the cooked bread cubes.
11. Take the zucchini halves and scoop out the flesh and add that to the bowl as well.
12. Mix up all of the ingredients in the bowl.
13. Put the scooped out zucchini halves into a baking dish, large enough so they aren't touching.
14. Scoop a layer of the bread/zucchini/mushroom mixture into each xzucchini half.
15. Top with onion and shallot marmalade.
16. Bake at 375 degree for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.

Enjoy!