Going Greek for Easter Dinner

Hop into a Greek Feast

Take a trip to Greece this Easter with some of my favorite Greek Easter Dinner recipes. A succulent Herb-Roasted Leg of Lamb is the star of this traditional Greek feast and will have the entire family chirping Oop-ah!

Going Greek is easy with this finger-licking good menu of Greek Spring Vegetables, Lemon Roasted Potatoes, Herb-Crusted Leg of Lamb, Bakery made Baklava Pastries and homemade Sweet Phyllo Nests with Candies. Check out some of my other great recipes that are sure to compliment this Decadent Mediterranean Dinner.

Create the Perfect Easter Table!

I have all the tips you need. Check it out at Easter Table Decorations.

Looking for a quick way to enhance your table décor for this Easter feast?

• Take a large class cookie jar and line the bottom with wheat grass.

• To do this, just purchase a flat of wheat grass from your florist and take sharp scissors to cut the grass into a circle that will fit in the bottom of your jar.

Easter Feast Leg of Lamb

• Add a large colorfully decorated Goose egg on top of the wheat grass. The larger and more decorative the egg is, the better. Place the lid on the jar. Use this pretty jar as a ‘stand’ for any of your serving platters!

 




GREEK SPRING VEGETABLES

Serves 8

Ingredients

3 lemons, juiced, lemon halves reserved
6 baby artichokes (12 ounces)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 white pearl onions
24 baby carrots, stems trimmed to 3/4 inch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
12 scallions, white and light-green parts only, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
3 ounces haricots verts or thin green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation


• Fill a medium bowl with water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice; set aside.
• With a knife, remove all but 1/2 inch stem from artichokes. Cut off sharp tips; remove tough outer leaves, trimming down to yellow inner leaves. Quarter artichokes lengthwise. If they have tough purple chokes, remove with a spoon. Rub artichoke pieces with lemon halves, and place them in lemon water as you work
• .In a medium saucepan, combine 3 1/2 quarts water, 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, oregano, garlic, peppercorns, and olive oil.
• Bring to a boil, and add artichoke quarters. Cook 8 minutes, until tender. Let artichokes cool in the cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice water; set aside. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil.
• To peel the pearl onions, boil for 1 minute, and remove with a slotted spoon. When cool enough to handle, peel, leaving root and stem ends intact. Set aside
• .Return water to a boil. Add carrots and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook 6 minutes, or until tender.
• Transfer to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. When carrots have cooled, remove from water with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• When water has resumed boiling, separately repeat blanching and cooling process with remaining vegetables.
• Blanch haricots verts and scallions 30 seconds each and peeled pearl onions for 3 minutes.
• Just before serving, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add vegetables, and sauté, stirring, until vegetables are hot and coated with butter. Add stock, parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; toss and serve.

GREEK LEMON ROASTED POTATOES
Serves 8

Ingredients

4 large russet baking potatoes, (8 medium), peeled and quartered
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, (3 lemons)
1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Greek oregano, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation


• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place potatoes in a metal roasting pan large enough to fit potatoes in a single layer.
• Add 1 cup water, olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss potatoes until well coated.
• Bake, uncovered, until fork-tender and brown on the edges, about 50 minutes.
• Turn potatoes halfway through for even browning; add water if all the liquid has been absorbed, before they have fully browned. If desired, garnish with oregano; serve.




HERB-CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

2 legs of lamb (9 pounds each), bone in, trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium head garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brandy
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat

Preparation


• Let lamb stand at room temperature for one hour. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Remove all but a thin layer of fat from the lamb. Rub lamb with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place on a rack in a heavy roasting pan.
• Meanwhile, rub head of garlic with 1/4 teaspoon oil; wrap loosely in foil.
• Bake until garlic is very soft, about 1 hour. Let cool.
• Cut off top of garlic head; squeeze roasted garlic into a bowl. Using a fork, mash garlic to a paste.
• Add extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well.
• Rotate pan after lamb has roasted 1 1/4 hours. After 30 minutes more, slather lamb with roasted-garlic paste.
• Roast an additional hour (for a total roasting time of about 2 3/4 hours), or until an instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 160 degrees.
• Remove from oven, and let rest 20 minutes.
• Transfer lamb to a carving board. Pour off fat from roasting pan; place over medium-high heat.
• Sprinkle with flour, and stir with a wooden spoon. Pour in brandy; scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan. Lower heat to medium; let liquid reduce by half.
• Add stock, stirring until incorporated.
• Add rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice lamb; serve with sauce on the side.

 

SWEET PHYLLO NESTS
Speckled jelly-bean eggs or chocolates in a crispy phyllo nest are sweetly seasonal. Use kataifi, pre-shredded phyllo, which is sold frozen at Greek grocers and large supermarkets.

Makes 12

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for tin
8 ounces (1/2 package) kataifi, thawed
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, (optional)
Jelly beans or chocolate eggs, for serving

Preparation


• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Brush a 12-cup muffin tin with butter.
• Pull phyllo into 1-inch-thick bundles; cut bundles into 2-inch lengths.
• Place in a bowl; separate into a loose pile with fingers.
• Toss with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, if using.
• Divide among 12 muffin cups; press into bottom and up sides.
• Cook until golden and crisp around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let cool; fill with jelly beans or chocolate eggs.