VISITING
AUTHOR-ARTICLE
APRIL
2011
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The
History of Lamb at Easter
Forwarded
by Stephen
Block, Chef Extraordinaire' |
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Why
is Lamb popular during Easter?
Throughout the world the most popular Easter symbol is the lamb.
The reference
to lamb in Christianity goes back to the book of Genesis, When Abraham
was asked to sacrifice his son.
In
past centuries it was considered a lucky omen to meet a lamb,
especially at Easter time. It was a popular superstition that the
devil, who could take the form of all other animals, was never allowed
to appear in the shape of a lamb because of its religious symbolism.
In
the 7 th century the Benedictine monks wrote a prayer for the blessing
of lambs.
A few hundred years later the pope adopted it and a WHOLE roasted lamb
became the feature of the Pope's Easter Dinner, and has been ever
since.
It wasn't too many years before people decided that it was ok to roast
parts of lamb instead of the whole bleeting thing. In the spirit of
the old days here is a version of leg of lamb that can be done on the
BBQ.
Little
figures of a lamb made of butter, pastry, or sugar have been
substituted for the meat, forming Easter table centerpieces.
In
Greece Easter is the biggest holiday, and apparently most everyone
roasts a whole lamb on a “Souvla” which is a large spit. I
understand that a motorized one is not popular so if you are
interested in doing a traditional Greek roasted lamb, they say it is
good to have plenty of friends to help turn the spit.
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The
Greek spit-roasted lambs are always turned by a hand crank. |
Recipe
for Greek Spit Roasted Lamb
Greek
Spit Roasted Whole Lamb |
Easter in Greece is the biggest holiday of the year and most
every family roasts a lamb.
Every family has it's idea of the best way to cook the Easter
meal but in general the animal is spitted and cooked over an
open charcoal bed for about 6 hours. Constant turning of the 'souvla',
Greek word for spit, is required so if the family is traditional
and doesn't use an electric motor a lot of friends come in
handy. I've found that the best way to obtain help in turning
the lamb is to have LOTS of beer and Greek wine on hand. The 'souvla'
is about 8-9 feet long with a handle for turning on one end.
It's placed on a pair of spikes driven into the ground about 7
feet apart. The spikes have several different 'U's welded to
them for raising and lowering the spit.
If you try this recipe, start a charcoal bed about 6'x2' before
preparing the lamb or kid and have a separate charcoal fire
going to add to the bed later on. By the time you get the animal
prepared the fire should be just about right. You'll probably
need 20 pounds, or more, of charcoal to complete the cooking.
Have more than you need on hand.
Wipe lamb inside and out with a damp cloth. Rub cavity and
outside of lamb with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cut a small
opening in the shoulder and hip joints and pour a small amount
of salt & pepper into them. Run the spit through the anus
and out of the top of the skull. A hammer may be needed for
this. Use baling wire to secure the spine to the spit in two or
three places. Sew up the cavity with string. Push fore-shanks
back towards body and tie in position. Wire the back legs to the
spit. This will prevent it from splaying out. Rub outside again
with lemon juice, salt and pepper and place on a rack in a large
catering-size baking dish.
Combine melted butter with olive oil and mop the lamb or kid.
Baste whenever it feels right during cooking.
Place the spit over the fire with the lamb or kid approximately
18" over the fire. Adjust the height according to the heat
of the fire during cooking. Turn the spit constantly for 6-8
hours, lubricating the person turning liberally with wine or
beer, then enjoy your Greek Easter Feast.
The innards aren't wasted. They're used to make a dish called 'Kokoretsi'
also cooked over a charcoal bed on a small souvla, but that's
another story and this is too long already. Have a Happy Easter!
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