Greek Food Weekend...Opa!

Hot on the heels of a very successful French Food Weekend, and one from which we are still enjoying the spoils, mainly being Duck Confit and Duck Rillettes, it was time to head further down the Mediterranean Sea, to Greece, for some more culinary inspiration.  Was this destined to be another weekend of foodie joy hailing from the land of the gods Zeus and Apollo? Well I decided not to make it too labour intensive as there was a few other happenings around the kitchen this weekend being the one in September when our family celebrates three separate birthdays.  The first birthday to be celebrated is my sister’s and it was her idea for me to cook up a Greek storm to honour her 27^th annual celebration.

Happy Birthday to my sister Ro - She requested this Greek Feast so here goes!  

What to serve for the feast that was to be had for Sunday lunch? Since the weather is warming up a little it seemed like a good idea to keep it really informal and simple but tasty.  What could be more Greek than Souvlaki or Gyros (depending where you are from).  I decided on a chunky leg of lamb to marinate and cook to a juicy souvlaki filling and since we were expecting a small crowd, I put up a chicken dish on the menu too.  Paired up with a selection of fresh spring veggies and beautifully dressed Greek Salad, these “souvas” were going to be memorable.  For starters, Greek dips definitely had to be on the menu and some warm pita bread to carry them on.  No Greek meal for me would be complete without the sweet hit of flaky, syrupy Baklava to finish which also masks the relatively prominent taste of garlic that you are left with because you just had to ask for “Extra Garlic Sauce thanks!”

The menu looks like this (click on the items to take you to the dish)

Tzatziki Dip – A refreshing cucumber infused yoghurt based dip  

Warm Bean Dip – My Greek inspired dip enjoyed warm and made from Butter Beans

Lamb Souvlaki – Take one leg, marinate overnight and roast to perfection

Chicken Souvlaki – My take on a very flavoursome boneless chicken dish perfect in a souvlaki

Greek Salad – Chunky fresh vegetables, crumbly feta cheese, olives and a fresh dressing that just wows

Baklava – A spiced nutty mixture encased in layers of buttered filo pastry and soaked in a wickedly sweet sugar and honey syrup

By the way this cake was not made or decorated by me it was done by the Mrs. so I thought it only fair to show it off on this blog.