GREEK DINNER PART II: Lamb with Cheese in Vine Leaves

While I had experimented with eating lamb a few times before, I really came to appreciate its taste when we were in Greece. It is such a flavorful meat and interesting alternative to beef. I hope you enjoy this authentic recipe from our cooking class in Santorini!

Things to Note:

• Although I used leg of lamb, just like the recipe calls for, I think I will try using lamb loin next time so that the cut is more uniform and easier to both roast and slice into similarly sized pieces. Because of how different in size the parts of the leg were, we ended up with small slices for layering. Improvising, we created one giant "leaf wrap" rather than individually wrapped slices of lamb. I think individual portions would be better (and definitely more beautiful like the picture from our cooking class creation above).
• Roasting the lamb before slicing and layering it among cheese in grape leaves creates "twice-baked lamb" which is much more dry/well done than we prefer. In the future I will reduce the first roasting time in half to hopefully counteract this effect.
• The grape leaves can dry out a bit when baked. Besides soaking them like the recipe calls for (mostly to rinse off the salty brine they are preserved in), I suggest brushing them with some olive oil to keep as much moisture as possible.
• Salt and pepper the lamb liberally! Like most recipes, this one doesn't specify the amount of salt and pepper to be added. I wished I had added more before layering and baking.

LAMB WITH CHEESE IN VINE LEAVES
recipe from Selene Restaurant, www.selene.gr
serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 leg of lamb without bones (I plan to use loin next time)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, halved (never referred to in original recipe again... maybe to stick into lamb when roasting?)
• 7 ounces of white fresh soft cheese ("Farmers Cheese")
• 1 tomato
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill
• 24 vine leaves
• 6 mini tomatoes
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil

Method:

1. Make several incisions in the meat with a sharp knife. Mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano (ladolemono sauce). Rub the ladolemono sauce all over the meat. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees. Pour any remaining of the ladolemono over the lamb an roast for 1 hour (I plan to roast for only 30 minutes next time).
2. Leave it to rest until it is cold.
3. Put the vine leaves in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave for 10 minutes; drain the leaves thoroughly.
4. Peel and seed the full-sized tomato; cut the remaining flesh into small cubes. Mix the cheese, dill, and tomato. 
5. Place the vine leaves, one very close to another. In every couple of them, place one slice of meat. Place 1 teaspoonful of cheese mixture; place another slice of meat and 1 more teaspoon of cheese mixture. Cover with two more leaves; fold the sides of them forming a small pocket.
6. Halve the tiny tomatoes and place on every piece. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil on the base of a large baking dish/pan and place the stuffed vine leaves.
7. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

GREEK DINNER PART I: Fava Fritters with Caper Tomato Sauce

Chris and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary this week with a homemade Greek dinner in memory of our honeymoon to Athens, Mykonos, Naxos, and Santorini. When we were in Santorini we took a cooking class at Selene Restaurant where we created these dishes, after learning about local foods and recipes, as well as tasting local cheeses and wine. Not only was the food and wine delicious, but the staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. We loved our day there (and the dinner there another night on our trip); the experience was definitely a highlight of our trip.

Our plan is to make cooking this Greek dinner an anniversary tradition. That being said, we've only made these recipes three times with a lot of time to forget details in between, which means we're still fine tuning. But now with the blog, I'll have notes to look back on next year, and the year after that, and the year after that... :)

Things to note about the fritters:

• With different ingredients than those local to Santorini, I've made some changes to cook time and amounts across both recipes, as well as interpreted some broken English on our printed recipes. It's still a work in progress. 
• I had to simmer the "fava" for much more than the directed hour. I turned up the heat to have more of a bubble, which helped to speed up the process. Maybe it's what they call a simmer in Greece, or maybe it's the difference between Greek favas and the substituted American yellow split peas... either way, increase the heat and time a bit to cook them all the way through. 
• I doubled the amount of semolina added to the peas before creating the fritters in a hope to make the consistency thicker and easier to work into patties. Continue adding semolina as necessary.

The flavorful tomato caper sauce absolutely makes these unique fritters. I think this is my favorite part of the meal. Enjoy!

FAVA FRITTERS WITH CAPER TOMATO SAUCE
recipe from Selene Restaurant, www.selene.gr

Ingredients:

• 8 cups pre-cooked fava (see below)
• 1 cup semonlina (doubled from original recipe)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
• 1 teaspoon of chopped mint
• 1 teaspoon of chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup semolina for dredging
• 1/2 cup of olive oil for frying

Method:

Mix all these ingredients. Then shape into 5 cm diameter by 1 cm high discs. Dredge the fritters in semolina; fry in olive oil until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve with the sauce separate.

How to Cook "Fava"

(Fava: small yellow dried split peas from Santorini)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fava (substitute yellow dried split peas)
• 6 cups water
• 1 medium onion (cut in half, keeping large pieces since they will later be discarded)

Method:

Place split peas with onion in a medium-size pot with cold water; bring them to boil and simmer for 50 minutes to one hour, or until peas are soft and they have cooked down to a pulp. Season with salt and pepper, add water if necessary. When quite ready and still hot, mix in the olive oil and discard the onion. Allow to stand for some minutes uncovered until the fava has absorbed all the water. 

Caper Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup capers
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
• 1 tin of tomatoes or 1 cup fresh tomato pulp (crushed tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
• salt and pepper

Method:

Rinse the capers in water. Remove and drain very well in a colander. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet. Saute the onion and the garlic. Add the wine, then add the tomatoes, the capers, and the bay leaves. Simmer for half an hour at a low temperature.

GUILTY PLEASURE PASTA: Pappardelle with Prosciutto and Orange

I'd like to think of this recipe as quick and easy gourmet-- guilty gourmet that is. You can feel the buttery, creamy sauce on your lips throughout the entire meal, and let's be honest; it's awesome. When pasta or other foods are rich like this one, it is built in portion-control because you can't eat a lot of it. Either way, every indulgent bite is worth it. And if you're short on time when having guests, it's an impressive recipe with few ingredients and time required.

I substituted fresh pappardelle pasta for tagliatelle pasta, which was easier to find. The browned prosciutto made for thin crispy bites and that meaty saltiness of bacon everyone loves, while being contrasted by tastes of citrus. When I make this again, I think I'll double the orange zest and juice as reflected in the recipe below, because I wanted more than a hint of that brighter flavor that makes for such a balanced sauce.

Make it... you know you want to :) 

PAPPARDELLE WITH PROSCIUTTO AND ORANGE

recipe adapted from Bon Appétit, www.epicurious.com

serves 4

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces egg pappardelle, preferably fresh (original recipe calls for tagliatelle or fettuccine)
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1" pieces
• Zest and juice of 2 oranges (original recipe calls for 1)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Method:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until 1 minute before al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh pasta, longer for dried. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.
3. Add reserved pasta water, orange juice, half of zest, and cream; bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook, stirring, until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cheese and divide among warm bowls.