This recipe was created by Michael Caroompas, a brilliant software designer whose Dad came from Greece. Michael was addicted to everything Greek, just like Michael Constantine in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." To my knowledge, he did not believe Windex would cure anything, but one never knows!
Simple is this Recipe's Middle Name
Michael used to make this recipe the classic way, rubbing the meat with lemon juice, olive oil, and spices and then soaking in a wine-based marinade for a few hours. The thing that makes this recipe so easy is that all the ingredients get tossed into a container, sit for a while and then are grilled to taste. The result is uncannily delicious and every bit as good as the classic method. Ingredient proportions are irrelevant, so no amounts are given. Caveat: use rosemary or oregano, not both.
Serving Suggestions
What's a Greek meal without a Greek salad? For side dishes, I'd go for roasted red potatoes that have been coated with olive oil and sprinkled with powdered rosemary, granulated garlic, salt and pepper before roasting. For a vegetable, I suggest marinated asparagus or stringbeans, cooked until just crisp-tender. Greek desserts tend to be a bit complicated, and this is a simple meal, so I'd go for ice cream!
Ingredients:
- Leg of Lamb, bone in or out
- Lemons, juice and rinds
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Head of Garlic
- Oregano or rosemary, fresh or dried
- Thyme, fresh or dried
- Wine, any color you have on hand
- Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- Wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Remove all the visible fat from the leg of lamb and cut the meat into single muscle pieces. Make slits in the meat with a sharp knife and insert slivers of garlic..
- Cut the lemons in half and juice them.
- Press or crush any remaining garlic.
- In a large container - a gallon-size wide mouth jar is ideal - put in all the ingredients including the lemon rinds. There should be enough liquid to cover the meat.
- Put the lid on the jar and shake violently for 30 seconds.
- Let the meat marinate in the jar for 1-2 days. Shake it up every once in a while. The acids in the lemon juice, wine and vinegar act as a preservative, so the jar does not have to be refrigerated.
- Remove meat from jar and pour some of the liquid into a dish to use for basting.
- Grill (barbecue) meat over a hot fire, turning frequently and basting often with the marinade. Keep a close eye on the meat to be sure it is cooked the way you want it since the pieces of lamb will be of varying thickness.
Michael Burwen - 30+ years as a business/market analyst for high-tech industry. Long-time interests are wine/food, woodworking, and consumer electronics.
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