Easy and Elegant Life

The Search for Everyday Elegance and the Art of Living Well.

Dinner Tonight: Greek It Up

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.

11 thoughts on “Dinner Tonight: Greek It Up

  1. Sounds delicious, especially the ground lamb.

    Isn’t Greek yoghurt also called lebneh? I love lebneh! For a quick snack I spread a spoonful or two of lebneh on a piece of Arabic bread, pour a few drops of olive oil on it, sprinkle on some mint, and wrap like a burrito. I’ve been eating a lot of it recently.

    I enjoy your food posts, as they rarely fail to when my appetite.

  2. Your meal sounds yummy and the only thing I would add is my cd “Music From the Greek Isles.” Since our heritage is so spread out, whenever I’m serving an ethnic dish, it is always accompanied by music from its country of origin. Thank you iTunes and Pandora—though my children roll their eyes. Someday they’ll appreciate it. I think dining with music and candles highly civilized.

    Thank you, too, for the laughs. Your “touristy” comment and Fairfax’s vanilla yoghurt story were both very funny.

  3. LBT, they are the reason that I’m having to run a couple of extra miles a week, though. Forewarned. That pita sandwich sounds very good. I don’t believe that “lebneh” is the Greek term; it sounds something like “yiaourti.” Bet it’s the same stuff.

    Fairfax, point well taken!

    Robin, I do the music, too! Must be that same disc… .

  4. Speaking of breaking plates, I once attended an Hermès event in Paris where we were actually invited to break seconds all over the exhibition-hall floor. Which we did. With glee. (And I’m so glad you didn’t choose any recordings by Yanni or Nana Mouskouri.)

  5. Yanni???? Nana???? Aaaggghhhh….

    And not being well traveled, my one and only plate story comes from driving through Oklahoma to attend a family celebration. We passed a car which had a paper plate stuck to it’s front bumper. Never one to miss the humor in things, I remarked to my husband, “I wonder what state they’re from. I’ve not seen those plates before.”

  6. OK, I think this recipe sounds great. In fact, most lamb recipes sound great to me. But, I just can’t stomach lamb! Isn’t that horrible?! I eat plenty of other things, but not lamb.

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