TSIKNOPEMPTI

                                        

The etymology of Tsiknopempti derives from tsikna, which is Greek for the smell of roasting meat and Pempti which is Thursday.

There are three weeks of Carnival in the Greek Orthodox Church, “Profoni!” preannouncement week, “Kreatini” meat-eating week and “Tyrofagou” cheese-eating week.   Tsiknopempti is the Thursday of the 2^nd week “Kreatini” and it is celebrated 11 days before Clean Monday, the first day of Lent.

On this day, Greeks and Cypriots, all over the world, roast various types of meat for their families and friends which are consumed with great delight!!

It is presumed that the custom originated from the celebrations in honour of Bacchus, the god of wine, in ancient Greece and Rome which, fortunately, continued into the Christian era.

                                               S O U V L A K I A

This is a very popular Greek dish.

1½ kg (3 lb) lean lamb, fillet of veal, or lean pork cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes

1 green pepper and 

1 red pepper, both trimmed and cut into eighths

Bay leaves

Marinade

2 onions, peeled and grated

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2 small tomatoes, halved, deseeded, grated, skins discarded

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients together

Salt and freshly ground pepper, according to taste

1 tsp oregano, preferably fresh

Marinate the meat cubes and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Thread 5-6 meat cubes on skewers alternately with the green and red peppers and bay leaves.

Grill 12 cm (about 5 in) away from the fire, turning the skewers occasionally until the meat is done to your taste. (10-15 minutes).  They should be cooked through but not dry.

Sprinkle with salt and fresh oregano and serve immediately with pitta bread, tzatziki, and a Greek salad.

                                   

                                   SKEWERED VEAL WITH VEGETABLES

                                    

This is no ordinary souvlaki.  

1 kg (2 lb) boneless veal sirloin, well trimmed from fat and tissue, and cut into bite-sized pieces

3 medium-sized onions, cut vertically into quarters

2 green peppers, seeded and cut into squares

6 portobello or any other large mushrooms, quartered

12 cherry tomatoes

Bay leaves

Marinade:

125 ml (½ cup) orange juice

1 small piece orange peel

250 ml (1 cup) white wine

1-2 cloves garlic, whole

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp honey

Gravy:

1 tbsp butter
1 bay leaf

1 tbsp flour

125 ml (½ cup) marinade

125 ml (½ cup) meat stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste   

125 ml (½ cup) olive oil

Six wooden skewers soaked in water

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, stir in the meat, cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Remove the meat from the marinade and dry.   Thread on 6 skewers alternately with the vegetables and bay leaves.   Also, sieve the marinade and set aside.

For the gravy, sauté the flour and the bay leaf in butter for 2-3 minutes, add the marinade and stock and simmer, whisking constantly until the gravy bubbles and thickens. Correct seasoning, adding more stock if you prefer a thinner gravy. Discard the bay leaf.

Brush the souvlakia with the olive oil and grill them (charcoal is best), for about 10-12 minutes.   Turn them and baste twice or three times during the cooking period, or until the meat is done according to taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.  

Serve the souvlakia drizzled with gravy and a potato salad.

                     LAMB CHOPS GRILLED WITH MUSTARD AND ROSEMARY

A delightful main dish.

1½ kg (3 lb) lamb chops

1 tbsp crushed thyme leaves

5-6 twigs rosemary

The juice of 2 lemons

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Marinade:

A large onion, peeled thickly sliced and then halved

62.5 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

1 tbsp crushed thyme leaves

1 tbsp crushed rosemary leaves

62.5 (¼ cup) balsamic vinegar with honey

1 heaped tbsp mustard

Mix all the marinade ingredients well together.  Place the chops, in a single layer, in a deep ceramic dish.  Pour the marinade evenly over, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for two hours at least.

Heat the oven 180 C (350 F).  Place the chops in a pyrex dish. drizzle with the sieved marinade and roast for 14-15 minutes.   Turn on the grill, sprinkle the chops with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and roast for 5 minutes on each side until cooked and brown

Arrange the lamb chops over a bed of rice, drizzled with the cooking liquid and sprinkled with crushed rosemary leaves, and serve with vegetables of your choice.

                                                   KOKORETSI

A must for Tsiknopempti.

2 lamb offals, without the kidneys, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 lamb’s caul fats

1 kg (4 lbs) intestines

The juice of 2 lemons

Oregano,

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wash the intestines thoroughly,   Fit one end of the intestine on the kitchen tap.   Turn on the tap and let the water flow through the intestines until thoroughly clean.  Place them in a bowl with the lemon juice in order to whiten them and firm them up.

Season the offal pieces with salt pepper and a little oregano.  Start threading them on a spit alternately. One piece of liver, a piece of lung, spleen and sweetbread and repeat the process until all the pieces of offal have been used.  Wrap them tightly with the caul fat and, finally, as tightly as possible with the intestines.

Allow the kokoretsi to dry completely.   You could roast it over embers if you wish, but the easiest way is to brush it lavishly with olive oil and roast it in the oven until golden brown.

                                   MEAT PATTIES WITH MARJORAM

                                     

Cephalonia is one of the few places in Greece where marjoram is used for cooking.

Patties:

500 g (1 lb) ground beef, or half ground beef and half ground pork

2 thick slices day-old bread, crusts removed, soaked in wine and squeezed

1 large onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 tsp fresh marjoram finely chopped

½ tsp dried thyme

1 small, ripe tomato, seeded and grated, skins discarded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

250 ml (1 cup) half hot water, half hot wine

3 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

80 ml (1/3 cup) hot water

1 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces

1-2 sprigs of fresh marjoram for garnish

Stew the onion and garlic in 250 ml (1 cup) water until soft, and let cool.  

Combine the onion mixture and all the other ingredients for the patties with the ground meat, and knead thoroughly.    Add some warm water to the mixture to soften it, if necessary.  Then wet your hands and shape it into patties.

Place the patties in a large frying pan with the hot wine/hot water solution, olive oil and the marjoram sprig.   Cover the pan and simmer gently on both sides, for about ½ hour, or until cooked.  Discard the marjoram sprig.

Uncover the pan, and when the liquid evaporates, turn the patties over, so that they brown well on both sides.  Arrange them on a heated serving platter and keep warm.

Pour the lemon juice and about 80 ml (1/3 cup) hot water in the frying pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and, shaking the pan, swirl in the butter pieces so that the liquid thickens slightly.  Drizzle over the hot patties, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with the marjoram sprigs. 

Serve immediately with mashed potatoes and a green salad.

                                                     KONTOSOUVLI

Kontosouvli is like an enormous souvlaki, crisp and delicious.

2 kg (4 lbs) shoulder of pork cut into large pieces

2 green peppers, sliced and deseeded

2 onions, peeled and sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

3 kg (6 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

Marinade:

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1 pinch of oregano

2 green peppers, trimmed and deseeded

2 onions, peeled

2 tbsp mustard

4 tbsp olive oil

Water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the meat in a large bowl.   Blend the marinade ingredients and pour all over the pork, mix thoroughly, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, thread the meat onto a spit, interspersed with sliced peppers, onions and tomatoes.  Place the kontosouvli in a large baking tin and add the potatoes seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Drizzle with the olive oil, 375 ml (1 ½ cups) water and sprinkle with a good pinch of oregano.

Cover baking tin with aluminium foil, and bake in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F).  After 40 minutes turn the kontosouvli over and roast for 20 further minutes.  Then remove the foil and roast for 20 minutes more, until the meat is tender and crunchy on the outside, adding extra hot water if and when necessary.

Serve with a zesty green salad.

"Carnival in Skyros" 1938 by Georg von Peschke