The Gift of Greek

 For mom's birthday this year, a Greek feast seemed quite fitting.  After such a decadent year, we went for a rustic, simple meal:

• Tzatziki with sweet baguette
• Kalamata olives
• Avgolemono soup
• Lamb Kleftiko
• Baclava with vanilla bean ice cream

The tzatziki recipe called for more attention to detail than I'd given the dish before—2 Tbsp lemon juice and white pepper were impressive additions.  From past experience, I reduced the suggestion of 6 cloves of garlic to just 1, and was glad for it.  For the cucumbers, I grated one and thinly sliced the other for texture contrast, before drying them on paper towels for 30 min.

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced finely
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 4 cups greek yogurt, strained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and grated or sliced extra thinly
• 4 tsp. chopped fresh dill

My mom would prepare avgolemono soup from time to time when we were growing up and it was always comforting and surprisingly tangy, a wonderful remedy for a cold winter night.  Our version was made with rice instead of orzo, so it had less lemony tang and more starch. 

• 12 c. chicken broth
• 2 c. rice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs
• Juice of 4 lemons

While we found a variety of Kleftiko recipes online and in the Greek cookbooks I brought home, it seemed like the best way to achieve the glory of a Mama Thira dish would be to go by feel.  We started with a pound of lamb and diced it, removing all fat so only the olive oil would flavor it.  In a deep sautee pan, we simmered chopped yellow onions, diced golden potatoes and as much oregano, fresh dill, basil, mint and garlic as we could.  The kitchen was so filled with the aromas of a Greek taverna, I could practically feel the Mediterranean sun.  Once the potatoes were softened, after about 20-30 min, we added the lamb, salt and pepper.  Separately, in the oven, super-thinly sliced potatoes sprayed with olive oil and sea salt were broiled until golden and crispy.  To create each plate, we first made a ring of crispy potato slices.  On top went a serving of the herbed lamb and potato.  Finally, chopped tomato was placed around the meat, tzatziki drizzled on top and a sprig of rosemary for garnish.

• 1 lb. lamb, trimmed and diced
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 4 medium golden potatoes, sliced thinly
• 4 medium golden potatoes, diced
• 2 Tbs (or more, to taste) fresh dill, oregano, rosemary & thyme
• Chopped tomato, for garnish
• Tzatziki, for garnish

We made the baclava while the Kleftiko was in progress.  Ignoring the recipe's suggestion to layer up to 5 pieces of phyllo between each brushing of butter and nuts, we made each layer its own contributor to the final product:

• 1 package phyllo dough
• 1/2 lb. butter
• 1 lb. chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios)
• Lots of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup water
• Lime zest

We actually used much more than a pound of nuts and discovered that only one cup of water boiled with the honey wasn't enough syrup.  Next time, enough syrup to practically drown the pastry is a must!