Spice Up Your Easter Feast with Greek Flavorsedited by Nan Frient Easter is nearly upon us and preparations are underway for many. What will the menu hold this year? The same baked ham as last year and the year before? The delicious, but all too familiar deviled eggs? Hot cross buns? Perhaps it's time to re-evaluate this year's Easter meal and bring a fresh perspective to the table with traditional dishes from the Mediterranean.
In Greece, Easter is the most celebrated holiday of the year. It is surrounded by centuries-old tradition and a feast unrivaled by any other. Chef George Kyrtatas, author of My Big Fat Greek Feast, has developed a Greek Easter menu for everybody. These dishes are designed to introduce the flavors of the Mediterranean to American households, shake up your Easter preparations and bring smiles to the faces of everybody at the table!  Chef Kyrtatas’ variety of fresh salads, soups and entrees offer something for everyone sitting around your table. Kyrtatas' menu items can be mixed and matched, served as stand-alone items or even served as a side to your traditional Easter favorites for those who can't pull themselves away from the spiraled ham.
MargiritsaGreek Easter Soup This is a shortcut method for making this traditional soup. By using canned tuna you will get the delicious flavor without the time-consuming work of boiling down the whole fish. Serves 10 Extra virgin olive oil
5 scallions, chopped fine
3 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 cup parsley, chopped fine
1/4 cup dill, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 gallon water
1 can of tuna in water
3 eggs
3 cups sour cream
2 cups rice, cooked
2 lemons, juiced Salt and pepper to taste Sauté scallions, carrots, celery and garlic in oil in a pot. When translucent add water to pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add parsley, dill, tuna, rice and lemon juice. Temper in eggs and sour cream. Reduce the heat to low, simmer and serve. Fennel, Feta and Kalamata Olive Salad This salad incorporates some of the best-loved foods of Greece - fennel, feta cheese and Kalamata olives. Serves 6 - 8 1/2 pound fennel bulb, about 1 bulb
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
4-1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped Clean fennel well and remove outer layers and top stocks. (Top portion can be frozen and used for flavoring at a later time) On a mandolin or with a carving knife slice fennel into the thinnest shreds possible, then soak in ice water for 1/2 hour. In a bowl, mix sugar, olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and then toss with soaked, shredded fennel. Top with chopped olives and crumbled feta cheese. Bean and Rosemary HumusServes 8 2 10-ounce cans cannelloni beans, drained
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary, chopped fine
1 cup water
1 lemon, juiced Boil all ingredients together for 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then puree in a food processor mixture until smooth. Grilled Veal Chops with Oregano and LemonThis easy entrée is rich in flavors of Greece. Serves 12 12 veal chops, each 1/2-inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons salt and pepper
2 lemons Brush veal chops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano. Place veal chops on grill and baste with olive oil. Cook to the desired temperature, squeeze lemon over the veal chops and serve. Roast Leg of LambIt is a Greek tradition at Easter to spit-roast a lamb outdoors for the big feast. Here's an easy way to enjoy the flavor of lamb without roasting it on an open fire. Serves 10 2 heads garlic, minced or pressed
3 cups red wine
2 cups lemon juice
3 tablespoons oregano
Kosher salt and pepper
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup clarified butter
1/2 cup butter
8 pounds leg of lamb
2 carrots, chopped roughly
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon roux
2 rosemary sprigs Pulverize pressed garlic with a mortar and pestle then combine in a bowl with mustard and lemon juice. Mix well. Trim extra fat from lamb, add salt and pepper and rub with garlic mixture. In a roasting pan, sauté carrots, celery and onions with butter until soft; then sear lamb and place in a 350 degree oven for about 1 and 1/2 hours or until desired temperature. Remove lamb from roasting pan and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving. Deglaze roasting pan with red wine and strain juices and drippings into a sauce pan with rosemary. Add roux to sauce and whisk over medium heat until sauce thickens. Serve lamb drizzled with sauce and vegetables on the side. KourabiedesGreek Holiday Cookies These holiday favorites are a must have for the Easter table. Delicious and sweet, they're the perfect way to finish any great feast. Makes 30 cookies 1/2 cup almonds, blanched and ground
1 cup butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups flour
1/2 cup rose water
2 cups powdered sugar In an electric mixer cream butter and sugar together. Slowly add egg and vanilla while continuing to mix. Slowly add baking soda, baking powder, ground almonds and flour and mix just until the dough comes together. Remove from bowl and knead with your hands, then form cookies into traditional cresset moon shapes. Bake in a 350 degree oven until cookies are golden color, approximately 30 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes then sprinkle with rose water and dust with powdered sugar. DolmathesStuffed Grape Leaves This appetizer has gained popularity in the U.S. in recent years. This is an easy recipe you can make right at home. Serves 10 1 jar grape leaves
3 onions, chopped fine
2 bunches scallions, chopped fine
2 cups rice
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup parsley, chopped fine
1 teaspoon dill, chopped fine
2-1/2 cups water
2 lemons
1 cup olive oil Heat oil in sauté pan. Add onions, scallions and sauté until transparent, approximately 5 minutes. Add rice and sauté with onions and scallions for another minute. Then add dill, parsley, salt and lemon juice. Simmer all ingredients for 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and let cool. While waiting for mixture to cool, rinse grape leaves and lay them flat, dull side up. To assemble, place a teaspoon of the rice mixture in the center of the grape leaf. Fold in all corners of the leaf then roll. Be careful not to roll the grape leaf too tight because as the rice expands, the leaf will tear. However, be careful not to roll the leaf too loosely as the filling will fall out. When all are rolled, place them snuggly into a pot or Dutch oven, add water and lemon juice and cover. Place in a 350 degree oven and cook until water is completely absorbed or rice is soft. (More water might be needed depending on which pot is used.) To store Submerge grape leaves in olive oil and refrigerate. Calamari KokinistoGreek cuisine is rich in seafood from the Mediterranean. Squid is a staple on the Greek seafood table. Serves 4 4 large calamari (tentacles and body), cleaned and sliced
1 12-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced fine
1-1/2 cups white wine
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon basil, chopped Blanch calamari in water for two minutes. Then remove and set aside. In a sauté pan add olive oil and sauté onions and garlic until soften. Then add tomatoes and white wine. Simmer. After the tomatoes and wine simmer, add calamari, saffron, parsley and basil. Toss for 2 minutes then serve hot. Goat Cheese Stuffed ZucchiniServes 6 6 baby zucchini
6 slices of goat cheese, cut into strips
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon oregano, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced Cut a slit into the center of the zucchini. Sprinkle the inside with oregano, salt and pepper. Then stuff each with goat cheese, brush the zucchini with oil and top with garlic. Place in a roasting pan and bake at 350 degrees covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered 20 minutes or until zucchini is fork tender. EliopitaOlive Bread This bread honors one of Greece's most valuable culinary resources: the olive. Serves 12 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (package)
1 cup warm water
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup onions, chopped fine
2 cups Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil In a bowl mix yeast and warm water, set aside until it bubbles. In a sauté pan, sauté onions with 2 teaspoons olive oil until soft, then add olives and sauté for about 2 minutes. In a mixing bowl with a dough hook add yeast-water mixture and all other dry ingredients and mix. Once ingredients are well mixed remove from mixer and place in an oiled bowl for 1 hour. Dough should double in size. Roll flat on a flour covered table. Spread onion and olive mixture over the dough, then roll the dough up with the mixture inside. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. | 
