Roasting a whole lamb for Greek Easter is not only delicious, it's cause for celebration, and that's what we did. Celebrate!
Greek Easter traditions are kept alive by Prince Charming and I every year at our home in Vermont. The cooking starts a week before the party and gets more intense as the days approach. Each year I
prepare a large menu with many recipes returning only for this special occasion. We dye hard-boiled eggs deep red (non toxic Greek dye of course), polish them with olive oil and play tsougrismat. The winner of the game will have good luck for one year. Once the guests (family) arrive, I ignite the saganaki (OPA!), we savor kalamata olives, and eat fresh baked breads. This year we introduced a new tradition "pin the tail on the lamb", which turned out to be a huge hit! When we sit down at the dinner table we play tsougrismat, start with the cold mezas (appetizers), have sappy toasts and many cheers. At this point the lamb is finished cooking and awaiting to be carved. The buffet was set up on a farm wagon because when you need a long table in Vermont, that's what you use. After all, we did have twenty one guests this year. As dinner wound down the Greek music was turned up, guests danced off the meal, and slowly moved to the dessert table, where Greek coffee and a large selection of desserts awaited. I on the other hand like to play backgammon at this point, a game I am quite fond of. I remember being taught how to play by my father as soon as I could walk. As the evening wound down I was so grateful to all the many people who taught me these cherished Greek traditions and to those who attended this fun celebration!
prepare a large menu with many recipes returning only for this special occasion. We dye hard-boiled eggs deep red (non toxic Greek dye of course), polish them with olive oil and play tsougrismat. The winner of the game will have good luck for one year. Once the guests (family) arrive, I ignite the saganaki (OPA!), we savor kalamata olives, and eat fresh baked breads. This year we introduced a new tradition "pin the tail on the lamb", which turned out to be a huge hit! When we sit down at the dinner table we play tsougrismat, start with the cold mezas (appetizers), have sappy toasts and many cheers. At this point the lamb is finished cooking and awaiting to be carved. The buffet was set up on a farm wagon because when you need a long table in Vermont, that's what you use. After all, we did have twenty one guests this year. As dinner wound down the Greek music was turned up, guests danced off the meal, and slowly moved to the dessert table, where Greek coffee and a large selection of desserts awaited. I on the other hand like to play backgammon at this point, a game I am quite fond of. I remember being taught how to play by my father as soon as I could walk. As the evening wound down I was so grateful to all the many people who taught me these cherished Greek traditions and to those who attended this fun celebration!
1 comment:
Looks great! Greek Easter looks like so much fun!
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