Eating in:Keep it simple for fast Mediterranean flavour
Life in Greece revolves around the home, particularly at Easter. Many of the festivities surround the table, which at this time of year is set to brim with vividly coloured, robustly flavoured food.
Greek dishes share much with the cuisines of Italy, Lebanon and Morocco, as they do simple things to high-quality ingredients, with clear, well-defined flavours. Everyday food concentrates on vegetables and pulses, with judicious use of meat and fish.
If you'd like to prepare this Greek-style Easter meal, start off with small dishes to dip into and share: a bowl or two of olives, say, some pickled chillies and some hummus.Recipes serve four
SPRING LAMB STEW
1kg shoulder of lamb, in 3cm cubes
Rack of lamb cut into 8 cutlets
Sprig thyme
1 onion
2 carrots, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
Bunch new-season carrots
Bunch new-season baby turnips
200g small shallots (banana if possible)
Bunch baby leeks, trimmed
Glass white wine
250ml light chicken stock
200g French beans, trimmed
200g frozen peas
Combine the first seven ingredients in a casserole dish, cover with water, season with salt and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer very gently for an hour or until the meat is cooked.
Transfer the meat to a clean casserole and allow the liquid to cool. Remove the fat from the surface and strain the liquid over the meat, discarding the solids.
Add all the baby vegetables, white wine and stock and bring to simmering point. Allow to cook for 15 minutes. Add the beans, cook for 10 more minutes, then add the peas and remove from the heat. Check the seasoning and serve with plain potatoes.
ORANGE AND CINNAMON SALAD
3 oranges
8 dates, stoned and roughly chopped
1 tbsp flaked almonds
powdered cinnamon
4 tbsp Greek-style yogurt
Plunge the oranges into boiling water for two minutes, remove and, when cool enough to handle, peel. Slice into discs and place in a bowl with the dates and any juice that has collected on the chopping board.
Heat a dry frying pan and, when it is hot, lightly toast the almonds. Before serving, scatter the almonds over oranges, dust lightly with cinnamon and serve with the yogurt.