More Greek Food

Ok, here are the recipes for tzatziki and greek salad.

Tzatziki

Greek yogurt
Grated cucumber (squeeze to get most of the juice out before mixing into the yogurt)
Crushed garlic cloves - two or three depending on how garlicky you want it
Extra Virgin olive oil
Salt
Dash of vinegar and a dash of lemon juice

Add all this together to taste and leave in fridge to settle and get cold.

Rustic Greek Salad

Cucumber
Tomatoes
Red onion
Kalamata Olives
Extra Virgin olive oil
Feta Cheese

Cut cucumber and tomatoes into medium to large chunks and the red onion into rings. Mix with the Kalamata olives and virgin olive oil and salt and pepper so it's all covered and then place the whole feta cheese on top (could sprinkle with dried Oregano). Optional - add a little lemon juice to the olive oil.

Greek Lamb Marinade

I tried this out to make gyros and it turned out great! Of course, I don't have the nifty rotisserie greek restaurants do, so I cut some lamb steak into thin strips, soaked it in the marinade, and sauteed it. Then I put it on some pita bread with some tzatziki and sliced red onion. I'll dig up the tzatziki recipe - it was really good and authentic according to the friend who gave it to me.

3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 tsp. bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Stir it up, pour it over the meat. Soak it for a few hours or so. Enjoy! My kids even liked it.

Just for Brandy

Leg of Lamb

Remove all the fat and faschia (the tough membrane covering the muscle). Mix 1 qt. of water with 1 Tbsp cider vinegar. Wash lamb in solution, then pat dry.

Poke holes all over the leg and insert slivers of garlic (about 3 cloves). Boil water with sliced lemon and olive oil (just drizzle some in, I'm not sure how much). Rub leg well with lemon/oil/water stuff then rub salt and lots of lemon pepper and leaf oregano over leg. Put in a pan on a rack with 1 cup of water in bottom (If you don't have a rack use thick sliced onions). Baste with broth every 1/2 hour (without any fat on the roast I find that I need to add water in order to baste). Roast at 300-350 degrees about 1 hour per pound.

Cool leg to slice. Pour off and reserve broth. I usually cook the leg in the morning and then remove it from the refrigerator about an hour before dinner. It's best when you carve the roast and arrange it in a casserole dish with the meat covered in broth (I use beef broth instead of the drippings) and then reheat it in the oven. It sounds much more complicated than it is. Never, ever leave the fat on! Yuck! Greasy meat! Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! That would be the reason most people think they don't like lamb. Yuck!