Today we celebrate the 40 days that we have until the Christian Orthodox Easter. I mention the Greek Easter especially because for the past 30 years we have been providing the Greek community of the DC Metropolitan area with Spring Lamb. It is a spectacular time of year for the Catholic religion and the Christian religion all over the world. This year the Catholic Easter comes one week before the Greek Orthodox Easter that is April 12, 2009 and April 19, 2009.
The tradition for Italians, Greeks, and other cultures of this region is to roast a lamb on a spit over an open fire. The typical size of a lamb for this occasion is 30 pounds. A pound or two is what we calculate for a feast of this magnitude with a party of twenty. As you know we Greeks do not let any part of the lamb go to waist. I am talking about the liver, heart, intestine, spleen, cauv fat, sweetbread, kidney, and the head. These organs of the lamb are considered delicacies.
There are two particular uses for these offal parts; one is for a recipe called MAGERITSA (EASTER LAMB SOUP). The other, Kokoretsi is cooked next to the lamb on its own spit. Basically the offal parts are chopped up, seasoned and put on the spit. The next step is to use the clean intestines to fully cover the spit. This is paticularly enjoyed with a cold beer. Believe me the butcher, it does taste better than it sounds.
It is also typical to grill other meats. Such as souvlaki. This is pork cubes on wooden skewers. The meat is marinated with oil, salt, pepper and oregano. It is very popular not only on Easter but throughout the grilling season.
Look for the next post to find out how you can purchase all of these fresh ingredients from the P & F Meat Market in Landover Maryland.