Holy Week is the most important period for the Greek Orthodox Church. Most Greeks, even non-regular church goers, attend the services daily, in order to listen to the Gospels, to hear the hauntingly beautiful hymns, and comply with rites and traditions that have become part of the Greek heritage.
On Good Friday, flags are lowered at half-mast, on public buildings. After Vespers, in every church, the procession of the “Epitaphios” takes place. A bier, decorated with sweet-smelling spring flowers, is carried through the streets of every city, town, hamlet and village of Greece
At 11 p.m. on Saturday, people fill churches, carrying long candles "lambades". Exactly at midnight the bells start pealing joyfully, fireworks light up the dark skies, the priest proclaims the Resurrection of Christ and offers the “Holy Light” to the congregation. Everybody kisses their loved ones, declaring “Christos Anesti”, Christ has risen, and returns home, with lighted candles, to crack red Easter eggs and enjoy their magheritsa!
Here are a few traditional and contemporary recipes for Easter.
TRADITIONAL EASTER SOUP
After the Easter Midnight Service, the fast for Lent is broken with this delicious and comforting soup.
1 kg (2 lb) lamb offal such as liver, lung, heart or substitute with a leg of lamb
or use both in equal quantities
5-6 spring onions, finely chopped
2 cups cos lettuce, finely shredded
2 tbsp butter
120 ml (½ cup) white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tbsp short grain rice
3-4 tbsp dill, finely chopped
4 egg yolks, or 2 whole eggs separated, whites whipped into soft peaks
2 lemons, juice only or according to taste
Cover the lamb offal or meat with cold water and bring to the boil. Strain and discard the water. Add enough hot water to cover the meat, sprinkle with1 tbsp of salt and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, refrigerate and de-grease the stock and cut the lamb into very small cubes.
Saute the spring onions and lettuce in butter. Remove the lettuce and reserve. Stir in the meat and cook for about 10-12 minutes, drizzle with wine and cook 3 minutes more. Pour in the hot stock, let it come to the boil, taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Add the rice and the reserved lettuce, and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the dill and cook 10 minutes more, until the rice is tender. taste once more to check the seasoning. Just before serving, heat the soup and prepare the avgolemono as in "Lamb Fricassee" (see below), and serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper.
(Serves 6)
EASTER MUSHROOM SOUP
This is a delicious vegetarian soup, if prepared with olive oil and vegetable stock. This soup has been inspired by “Magheritsa”, the well-known Easter soup, without the “Avgolemono”.
500 g (1 lb) fresh mushrooms finely chopped
6 dried porcini, soaked and chopped, soaking water strained and reserved
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, grated
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp flour
The tender leaves of 1 cos lettuce, shredded
2 tbsp dill or fennel, chopped
3-4 spring onions finely chopped
250 ml (1 cup) white wine
1.500 litres (6 cups) well seasoned chicken or vegetable stock
Lemon juice to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan sauté the grated onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter. Add the fresh mushrooms, the porcini and the garlic, and cook until all the liquid evaporates. Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Then pour in half the wine and keep on stirring, until the wine evaporates. Pour in 2 ladlefuls of chicken or vegetable stock and the reserved porcini liquid and simmer for about 15 minutes. It should have the consistency of a thick mushroom sauce.
In a large saucepan, sauté the spring onions in the remaining oil or butter, add a pinch of salt and the shredded lettuce and cook for 3 minutes more. Pour in the remaining wine and let it evaporate. Add the remaining stock and simmer, until the vegetables are almost done and combine with the mushroom mixture.
Add the chopped fennel or dill and cook the soup 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with lemon juice, according to taste. Correct seasoning with salt, if necessary. Also add a little hot water if the soup is too thick. Bring the soup to a simmer and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
(Serves 6-8)
LAMB FRICASSEE
Artichokes may be substituted for lettuce or endives.
1½ kg (3 lb) leg of lamb, boned, trimmed of excess fat and cut into egg-sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
A little olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ kg (1 lb) spring onions, chopped including the tender green parts
250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine
1 heaped tbsp flour, dissolved in
250 ml (1 cup) water
1½ kg (3 lb) cos lettuce, coarsely shredded, or
1½ kg (3 lb) curly endive blanched and roughly chopped
2 tbsp dill or fennel, finely chopped
4 egg yolks
1 lemon, juice only, about 4 tbsp or more
125 ml (½ cup) hot full milk
8 slices of bread, each trimmed and halved into triangles, fried or toasted.
Sauté the meat in butter and olive oil, in a large saucepan,. until slightly browned. Add the onion and spring onions and simmer for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and pour in the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Add the flour/water solution and enough hot water to partly cover the meat and simmer until it is nearly cooked.
Add the lettuce or endives, and season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Simmer until both the meat and vegetables are cooked, stir in the dill or fennel and cook gently for 5 minutes more. Check if there is enough cooking liquid for the sauce and add a little hot water if necessary. Remove the saucepan from the fire.
Beat the egg yolks with a little water and the lemon juice. Gradually add 2 ladlefuls of cooking liquid, beating constantly and pour over the fricassee. Bring to a very gentle simmer but do not boil. Add the milk and stir. Serve piping hot garnished with fried or toasted bread.
(Serves 8)
LEG OF LAMB BAKED IN BAKING PARCHMENT
This is a favourite meal and very easy to prepare.
A 2 kg (4 lb) leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat
1 lemon, juice only
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tbsp fresh oregano or rosemary
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced
150 g (5 oz) kephalotyri or pecorino cheese, cut in small sticks (optional)
50 g (1¾ oz) butter
Place the leg of lamb on a large piece of baking parchment. Rub it with lemon and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano or rosemary. Make small slits in the meat and fill them with garlic slices and cheese sticks if using. Dot the lamb with butter, fold the baking parchment over, and fold again in foil.
Roast the leg of lamb in an oven preheated to 190C (375 F) for 1½ hours. Then uncover the meat and roast it for 15 minutes more or until golden brown. Serve with roast potatoes and a green salad.
(Serves 6)
LIVER COOKED WITH LEMON AND SUGAR FROM CEPHALONIA
If you like liver, do try this dish.
1/2 kg (1 lb) liver, trimmed and cut into small slices 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) thick
Flour
About 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp or more sugar, diluted in
2 tbsp lemon juice, or according to taste, and
125 ml (1/2 cup) water or more
Dip the liver in the flour and shake off the excess. Heat the olive oil in a frying-pan, and fry the liver for 2-3 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. Sprinkle with salt, remove from the frying-pan and keep hot.
Discard almost all of the oil from the frying-pan. Pour the lemon, sugar and water mixture into the pan scraping off any brown bits. Stir and boil the sauce briskly, and taste and adjust with lemon, water and sugar, if needed.
Return the liver to the frying pan and heat it thoroughly, making sure that each slice of liver is coated with the sauce. Taste once more and add some salt, if necessary, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a salad of your choice and warm, crusty bread.
(Serves 6-8)
EASTER BREAD
If you can not find mahleb or mastic double the amount of freshly grated citrus fruit for preparing Tsoureki.
500 g (1 lb) strong plain flour
2 tbsp dry yeast
60 ml (¼ cup) hot water (not over 38 C)
175 g (7/8 cup) sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp mahleb, freshly ground
½ tsp mastic, freshly ground
The freshly grated rind of 1 lemon or orange
60 ml (¼ cup) hot milk (not over 38 C)
3 eggs at room temperature (reserve 1 yolk for further use)
180 ml (¾ cup) hot, melted butter
3 tbsp or more almond flakes for garnishing
Sprinkle the dry yeast over the hot water, stir in a little flour to make a thick batter, cover and allow it to double in volume.
In a large bowl, mix the sugar salt, spices and grated rind together. Stir in the hot milk and 2 tbsp warm butter. Then add the eggs and the yeast and continue stirring until all the ingredients are well mixed together. Gradually incorporate the flour until you have a sticky dough.
Fold the butter by the handful into the dough, without kneading, until all the butter is used. Do not worry if the butter is oozing from the dough, it will be absorbed as the dough proves. Shape the dough into a ball, cover and leave it in a warm place until it has doubled or tripled in bulk.
Punch the dough down and without kneading or handling it too much, shape it into 1 large or 2 smaller plaited loaves. Place it/them on a tin lined with baking parchment, cover and let double or even triple in bulk. Glaze the tsoureki with the reserved egg yolk, beaten with 2 tbsp of water, and sprinkle lavishly with almond flakes. Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 20-30 minutes (do not over bake as it will harden) and let it cool on a wire rack. If not served at once, seal in plastic bags and freeze.
EASTER COOKIES
These are lovely and crisp cookies.
600 g (4 cups) all purpose flour
150 g (¾ cup) sugar
150 g (5 oz) butter or margarine (hard)
1½ tsp ammonium bicarbonate
Pinch of salt
2 egg yolks + 1 slightly beaten egg white for brushing over the cookies
2 vanillas
Beat the butter well, then add the sugar and salt and continue beating until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, the vanilla and the ammonium. Finally sift in the flour and knead until a soft dough is obtained. Shape into small koulourakia (really small, as they almost double in size), brush them with the egg white and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) (not air) for 10 minutes until they are golden.
CHEESE TART
Pastry
1 1/3 cups flour
1/8 tsp mustard powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cubed
3 tbsp cold water
Filling
500 g (1 lb) anthotyro, anari or any other bland white cheese
4 eggs separated, whites whipped into soft peaks, with a pinch of salt
2 tbsp flour
the grated rind of 1 lemon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 spring onions, very finely sliced
90 g (1 cup) Graviera or Parmesan
½ cup cream
salt, pepper, a pinch of Cayenne pepper
2 tbsp Parmesan
Combine the flour with salt, mustard powder and salt. Rub the butter with the flour with the tips of your fingers until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add the water and just press the dough together into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Meanwhile prepare the filling. Blend the white cheese with the egg yolks and flour until smooth. Then add the lemon rind, nutmeg, salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper, the grated cheese and the cream and blend until all the ingredients are well mixed together. Finally add the chopped parsley and spring onions and pulse 3-4 times. Remove from the blender and fold in the whipped egg whites.
Roll out the pastry and line the bottom and sides of a prepared tart tin. Add the cheese filling, sprinkle with 2 tbsp of Parmesan and bake in an oven, pre-heated to 180C (350 F) for about 45 minutes
(Serves 6-8)
SWEET CHEESE TARTS FROM SANTORINI
Meletinia are very popular and not only in Santorini. When they are made with good cheese, they are absolutely superb!
Pastry:
300 g (2 cups) flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
115 g (1/2 cup) butter
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp orange juice
1 tbsp or more soda water
Filling
200 g (2 cups) unsalted, white cheese, mizithra, anthotyro, ricotta
300 g (1 ½ cups) sugar
150 g (1cup) flour
3 eggs, whites whipped into stiff peaks
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
Cinnamon
First prepare the pastry. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder together, add the grated orange rind and rub in the butter until it resembles bread crumbs. Add the eggs, orange juice and soda water and knead just enough to form a soft dough, and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Combine the cheese, sugar, whole egg, grated orange rind and flour together. If the filling seems very soft, stir in more flour and then, carefully fold in the beaten egg whites.
Roll out the pastry rather thinly and cut in 10 cm (4 in) circles with a pastry cutter. Place a teaspoon of the cheese mixture on each circle and pinch the edges together to form a tartlet.
Place the tarts on a baking pan and bake for 25 minutes in an oven preheated 190 C (375 F). Serve sprinkled with cinnamon.
(Makes 24 tartlets)
Very nice!
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