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the best seasoned, simmered and baked lamb ever!

seasoned, simmered and baked leg of lamb
CLICK on the above picture to see how I prepared my leg of lamb!

Kokkari restaurant  is a favorite stop of mine in San Francisco. It is a wonderful Greek Estiatorio offering orginal and traditional Greek cuisine. Recently, I picked up their cookbook and read how they prepared my favorite dish… their ‘reddened lamb shank.’ A lamb shank is nice if you aren’t into ‘sharing’, but I wondered if I could make it in a similar fashion using an entire leg of lamb? The answer is yes!

Part of the key to any good meal is in the preparation, but one has to tip ones “Toque” to the key role quality ingredients play. My lamb came from  Superior Farms  and was exceptional in every way. My herbs and seasoning was fresh … and the Greek wine I consumed in the process made it all very festive. Opa!

We didn’t have lamb growing up ( although I am told we did) as it was expensive compared to a diet of all-you-can-eat carrots. However, it has been one of my favorite foods.

Here is how I prepared (basic recipe) my lego of lamb!

My daughter Karla wanted to take a picture of ‘hungry Dad’ … believe me, little acting was required in this photo!

Nothing was leftover in this meal!

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a day of Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving Day is the Day celebrated by most Americans, not so much for its historical significance, but for its meaning. Giving thanks for our blessings, our friendships and our families no matter how humble or grand is part of an appreciation for living.

…and thanks to all those who help preserve our way of life.

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lemon squares and variations on a theme

It’s amazing how many recipes there are for the humble Lemon Square. Many of them reflect the rationing of expensive or hard to find ingredients. Some have a pie crust, some have only a hint of lemon and others seem to be little more than a lemony glaze over cookie dough.

Personally, I think that the crust needs to be as good as the custard and I use a quality short bread for the base. I have been experimenting with adding more custard and I think this works out fairly well now. I can’t imagine that anyone could get a tangy lemon taste without ample amounts of lemon zest (I add about 1/3 the amount of lemon zest with orange).

the crust

1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 cups flour

2 1/4 cubes of butter (.6 lbs)

3/4 tsp salt

combine and cook at 350 degrees F. for around 20 minutes

NOTE: often I only lay the crust on the bottom and not the sides.. but if I put dough on the side, I do not allow the dough to go higher than the filling. Personally, I don’t like overly browned crust.

 

the filling

1 1/3 cup lemon juice

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

8 eggs

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2/3 tablespoon orange zest

1 teaspoon baking flour

350 degrees F. for 30 minutes

You can modify this recipe for pans with steeper sides if you want to reproportion the ingredients and make a thicker custard…

yum!

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no need to preserve cheese, if you eat it all?

Barrel aged Greek Feta Cheese

I bought a ‘brick’ of feta cheese aged in barrels in Greece. I told Laura I was going to preserve it until we need it when the family all gets together. The response to my statement on cheese preservation was an exasperated “WHAT FOR?” Many women find cheese an almost religious experience, by contrast, most men reserve these feelings for truly worthy culinary treats best tasted around a rotisserie barbecue.

With this little diversion behind me, I began to place my aged feta cheese in a brine solution and then into a special part of the refrigerator until needed. The brine solution most folks recommend is 1 pound of salt to 1 gallon of water and there is particular emphasis on keeping the naturally buoyant Feta submerged. I use a small plate  to weigh down the cheese. (This is very similar to weighing down meat in it’s seasoned brine solution to eventually turn into  corned beef.)


Although this is not a particularly difficult process, it is just one that too many folks forget. Old air dried Feta isn’t satisfactory.  However, I am reminded that if you eat it all in one sitting then… then, there is no problem?

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when in Sparta, try the olive oil and oregano

From the Valley of Sparta in Laconia, Greece comes a wonderful olive oil and Greek Oregano

In my ever ending search for culinary wonders, I found a delightful Olive Oil wrestled from the semi arid hills of ancient Greece. One can almost sense the presence of ancient Sparta in the exquisite flavor of this fine oil.

If you never have an opportunity to visit ancient Sparta (BTW, you will find few pictures of the area on the internet with the exception of this fine  Lykovouno Web Site)   you should stop and visit the olive groves nearby.   The story is charming , it tells of a San Francisco dematologist returning to his ancestral home to rekindle a business. Fortunately for me, I discovered in reading his web site that he has a number of outlets in Northern California!

‘Lykovouno’ means something like ‘Wolf Mountain’ and one can almost see Spartan King Leonidas as a boy traveling and killing a wolf… maybe on this very mountain as his rite of passage. Spartan Boys were sent out to fend for themselves to test their worthiness, often having to steal, capture or hunt to eat.

So whether you are planning a Greek Feast or for everyday cooking, Lykovouno  (pronounced Lee-ko-voo-no)   Olive oil is wonderful. HERE is the site!