With the cooler nights, I start to long for comfort food. And being half Greek, that would involve lamb.

“You don’t eat meat? He don’t eat meat? That’s OK; I feed you lamb.” My Big Fat Greek Wedding

This is a very easy and quick weeknight supper.

The Easy and Slightly More Elegant Lamb Mac and Cheese.
1/4 - 1/2 package of elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions to al dente and depending on how much pasta you prefer.

1 small log of plain goat’s cheese

1 small container of Greek yoghurt, plain. If you cannot find Greek yoghurt, begin the night before with a container of regular yoghurt and some cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Secure the material over the mouth of a glass or a pyrex measuring cup with a rubber band and fill with the yoghurt. Let drain overnight. Dispose of the liquid the next day. The yoghurt will be thicker and creamier.

1/2 - 1 lb. of ground lamb, depending on your needs. Brown in skillet with a 2 teaspoons of commercial Greek seasoning and a splash of lemon juice and ouzo. Or, make your own using a combination of minced garlic, oregano, onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, dill weed, a splash of ouzo (or a dash of anise) and some lemon juice.

Cook the pasta, stir in the goat cheese and yoghurt, add the lamb. Garnish with parsley or more oregano.

Serve with a Greek salad (what else?) and a light red wine.

Do not throw empty plates on the floor; it’s touristy.

As I listened to the wonderful podcast of The Splendid Table (free from iTunes!) I was by turns grateful (that I hadn’t been swindled out of USD$156,000 for a bottle of “Thomas Jefferson’s wine”), intrigued (to try a new gazpacho recipe and new blender: the Vitamix) and surprised.

It was during a segment on baking desserts, a segment to which I was only half-listening as I don’t bake very well. The woman was going on about her Greek grandmother (ah! My ears perked up a bit) and how she smelled of Orange Flower Water. She used it in her desserts and daubed a bit behind the ears.

“Hey! I’ve got a bottle of that stuff lying around,” I thought.

My friend, CallMeAl, had run it to ground years ago and presented me with the gift of the perfectly hard-to-find last ingredient for a Ramos Gin Fizz. Or was it the New Orleans Sazerac? I can never remember until I see the recipe. At any rate, I had never thought of the distillation as anything other than a cocktail ingredient (it can be argued that I view all things as potential cocktail ingredients and have also been known to daub a little martini behind the ear whilst mixing. I mean, it can’t be that far removed from Bay Rhum, can it?)

Orange flower water is the left over liquid from the distillation of bitter orange blossoms. (The distillate, an essential oil, is called neroli and is used in perfumes.) Orange flower water is sometimes referred to as an “essential water” and is frequently used in Middle Eastern cooking. It also holds up well. My bottle is from Crabtree & Evelyn, which doesn’t seem to carry it anymore. It must be at least ten years old.

It also turns out that it makes a delicious glass of sweetened mint tea that much better! Thanks Splendid Table! Give it a try. Highly recommended.

Back in the 80’s, Mrs. E. was a Cutco knife salesperson. She did very well at it and determined then and there that she would never go into sales. Which is why she is a pushover for former students of hers who come a-knocking with the wonder cutlery that is never beautiful, but works beautifully.

We were the proud recipients, in recent days, of the best pair of kitchen shears that I’ve used. Not only do they separate for cleaning and sharpening, they look murderous.

Until last night, they remained untested by anything more strenuous than pizza or herbs.

So I bought a whole chicken with the intention of butterflying, marinating, and grilling it. This was the absolute first time that I tried to butterfly anything and I was prepared for a fight. Sleeves rolled up, poulet rinsed and patted dry, the Cutco shears and I made the first tentative snip along the backbone. I split the bird asunder with frightening ease and continued along the other side of the backbone, removing it in short order. Cutting through the cartilage was even easier. The butterfly within had been freed.

I counted all ten of my fingers.

What could be easier or more elegant than avoiding the Julia Child-like hacking away that was the order of the day before industrial strength kitchen shears were made available to the amateur?

Place the floppy result in a gallon sized ziplock bag with 6 tablespoons of commercially produced Hungarian Pride of Szeged chicken rub (or mix: minced garlic, paprika, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and onion together. A fair approximation, but lacking that MSG zip.) Add a good, long four count pour of olive oil and the juice of one lemon to the bag. Zip it shut and shake it around to coat the chicken. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours (or two as I did….), heat the grill to low-medium and cook over indirect heat (or don’t. It didn’t seem to hurt the bird when the fire flared up a bit) for about an hour, flipping once. If it’s a bit underdone, cut it in half and microwave each half for three minutes on high.

You may also broil the chicken for about ten minutes a side until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reads “180ºF.”

Serve with a salad dressed with a garlicky vinaigrette and crusty bread. We uncorked a very nice 2007 Côtes-du-Rhône Samorëns blanc from Ferraton Père & Fils to drink alongside, but a Sauvignon Blanc would also work well.

As a final word of warning: I had to skip breakfast and run an extra couple of miles today since I dispatched half the chicken, myself. Mrs. E. was kind enough to leave me a leg and thigh for my lunch today. Unfortunately, the wine’s gone, too.