Roast Leg of Lamb
(Serves 8-10)

3 1/2 lb. leg of lamb
4 large cloves garlic (divided)
1 lemon (zest and juice)
3 T oil
4 T mix of oregano, rosemary, thyme
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 tsp.  each salt and pepper
2 T cornstarch
2 tsp. dried mint leaves

Marinade: peel garlic and slice 3 of the cloves into thin slivers.  Make little slits in skin of lamb and insert garlic slivers into pockets. Brush or mince remaining 1 garlic clove. Make a paste of crushed garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil herbs and seasonings and rub onto surface of lamb. Let sit, loosely covered, in refrigerator for at least an hour.  

Roasting: preheat oven to 350. Roast lamb for 1 3/4 - 2 hours, or till meat thermometer registers 140.* Place lamb on a carving board or platter, allowing it to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. In the meantime, put cornstarch in a little warm water, stirring till dissolved.  Add gradually to the pan juices, along with the mint, stirring continually. You may not need to add all of the cornstarch; it depends on how creamy or thick you like your juices. Serve the gravy in a bowl with the lamb.

* This is for medium rare. As the meet rests before carving, it will continue to cook, going up by 5 degrees. 

Tips & Glossary: Greek

You may not have a number of ingredients used in Greek cooking in your spice shelf, but you can find them at Mid-Eastern food stores. So to avoid frustration, make a list of the items you need before trying out the recipes.

Toss any old, even unopened, spice jars because they’ve probably lost their distinctive flavors. Put them on your shopping list.

Filo: aka phyllo, paper-thin sheets of raw, unleavened flour dough. Purchase frozen in most grocery stores and follow directions on package for thawing. When working with a sheet, keep others covered with a damp towel to prevent drying out.

Grape Leaves:  Grape leaves are sold canned in salted oil. Rinse off the salt before using. If you want, prepare your own: find fresh, tender young leaves and plunge them for 1 minute into boiling water (with 1 or 2 T lemon juice). Then proceed with recipe. After blanching, you can freeze them for later use. Here’s how: blanch as above, dunk in iced water, pat dry with towels, and seal in an air-tight plastic bag. They're safe for 6 months, but use quickly when thawed.

Nutmeg: Use small whole nuts and store them, tightly covered, in a dry dark area.  Grate what you need using the smallest grating edge or grind in a food processor.  What a difference from store bought nutmeg!

Pine Nuts: edible seeds of pine trees used in many Greek dishes. Before cooking, release flavor by lightly browning in a heated skillet. 

Skewers: Use metal or wooden skewers for kebobs.  If wooden, soak 30 minutes before using to prevent them from catching on fire.

Rosewater: distilled from rose petals and used to flavor Mid-Eastern and Asian cooking. You can make your own. But, seriously, why would you? Purchase it at Asian or Mid-Eastern stores.

Semolina: aka farina or Cream of Wheat; a coarsely ground wheat grain. You also know it as couscous. If made from durum wheat, it is used to make pasta.

Tarama: poor-man's caviar. From carp roe, it is pinkish-orange and is what (along with food dye) gives taramasalata its lovely color. Buy it jarred in Mid-Eastern food stores.