Tag Archives: #greek

Annie had a little lamb…

So, as you’ve figured out it’s full-on BBQ season.

A great appetizer that my hubby has been making lately is baby lambchops. I have to admit that I was spoiled by the lambchops at the Palm on West Street in NYC, they were just amazing. However, looks like the bald guy has nailed this recipe. And of course I had to add my two cents to make it pretty!

The marinade he created is the following: EVOO, Sazon con Azafran (by Goya – see pic below), chopped onions (small chop), garlic and dill. Just toss it all in a covered container and shake, shake, shake. Let chops sit for about 30 minutes before cooking on grill (you can keep them out while you prepare the BBQ. Never put cold food, straight from fridge onto a hot grill, it messes with the grill temperature. There’s a good explanation for this bad practice (and I get it, we’re all in a rush) here. Note that lambchops should be cooked medium rare (about 120 degrees if you’re using a thermometer).

My addition to this great dish was a beautiful mint pesto (I really dislike mint jelly, which I know is the traditional accompaniment for lamb). I have mint growing on the patio so I harvested some leaves, tossed into my food processor with some EVOO, garlic (to your taste) pine nuts (aka pignoli – which you can toast for a few minutes before incorporating to enhance the nutty flavor) and salt & pepper. I would not add cheese to this pesto as I think the richness of the mint and the lamb is just enough. Process until all ingredients are incorporated and plate!

The outcome was amazing, really. Such rich, earthy flavors cooked al fresco on a grill – I mean how much better does it get?

Chicken Cutlets…

2 Replies

I’m not talking about a fashion accessory, I’m talking about actual chicken cutlets. It might sound boring but I love a simply breaded chicken cutlet with a green side dish and a little fresh Greek yogurt (or tzatziki) on the side.

For this plate I used egg dip and breadcrumbs and simply fried the breaded cutlets. (Let me know if you need details on this, it’s super easy!)

I had a side of broccoli rabe (which I steamed and blanched, then drizzled with EVOO, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes) and a bowl of cauliflower mashed “potatoes” .

Sometimes I make a tomato bruschetta (chopped cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh chopped basil, salt, pepper and EVOO) and top the chicken cutlets with that and it’s great!

Avgolemono Soup

Leave a reply

This hearty, earthy soup is pure comfort food. Fresh ingredients always prevail when you want the best end product possible. Fresh dill, chicken, lemons all come together in this traditional Greek dish. I start by seasoning a chicken breast with salt, pepper and a little EVOO and baking it in oven until cooked (about 20 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast). Remove from oven and let cool. Next I make a rich chicken broth, you can do this using a store bought broth or homemade – make a large pot of broth so that there’s plenty of soup. I then scramble 1 egg in a mug and add the juice from 3 freshly squeezed lemons and set aside. Add 1 box of orzo to chicken broth and cook until slightly al dente (about 9-11 minutes). Dice up cooked chicken. Remove pot from heat after orzo is cooked. Slowly add one ladle of broth from orzo to the scrambled egg/lemon juice mixture Make sure you are mixing constantly so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Add chicken to the pot, then add the egg/lemon/broth mixture to the pot of soup stirring well to incorporate. Season generously with dill and fresh pepper. Of course garnishing with grated cheese is an awesome idea!

Ingredients: