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Eastern Orthodox Easter to meet Cinco de Mayo!

PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 11:35 pm
by Shaji M
Eastern Orthodox Easter falls this year on May 5th. So a bunch of us, being of Eastern Orthodox extraction decided to put a Mexican twist on our celebrations. We are hosting it. Lamb tacos are a given. Slices of lamb roasted with garlic, oregano, rosemary and a touch of achiote with cotijo cheese, tzatziki sauce, hot sauce (of course), cilantro, drizzled pomegranate mollasses, in corn tortilla should work well. Guests are bringing Greek salad, bread and all that. Appetizers will be olives, feta cheese, dolmades and maybe chicken kebabs. We need a potato dish. Baked potato wedges should go well. I would love it if anyone has a recipe for the same..we are looking for crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Dessert has not been thought of yet. Wine will be served. Cocktails could very well include some variations on the Margarita. Ouzo may or may not (most likely may not) make an appearance.
Thoughts? As always, thanks in advance!
-Shaji

Re: Eastern Orthodox Easter to meet Cinco de Mayo!

PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 10:05 am
by Mike Filigenzi
That sounds like a lot of fun! Don't know if you can get the peppers, but you could do a Greek take on chili rellenos. Maybe stuff the peppers with ground lamb, feta, etc.

I was trying to think of a Greek version of a margarita, but really couldn't come up with anything. One other thought would be to try and combine tequila and Ouzo. There's a cocktail recipe here that combines absinthe and tequila. The Ouzo ought to substitute well for the absinthe but I'd probably try this out the day before to check it out and tweak it if necessary.

Re: Eastern Orthodox Easter to meet Cinco de Mayo!

PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 10:49 am
by Jenise
Those tacos sound utterly fantastic!

Re the potatoes, a method I learned from Michael Chiarello involves pre-cooking wedges of yukon gold (start with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer until the pottoes are about half done, 5-8 minutes) then drain, put in a big bowl, drizzle with olive oil and black pepper if you like pepper, it will stick better now, mix and lay out on a cookie sheet. Roast at around 425 until a well-developed golden brown. They'll be creamy soft in the center and crispy outside, and crispy in a way that stays crisp. You could also do the same with splats: precook whole small unpeeled yukons in the same manner, but cook them just a little further along, then smash lightly with the palm of your hand and work the surface with a fork to make sure it's not flat-smooth but uneven and craggy. Place on an oiled cookie sheet and drizzle with more EVOO. The uneven tops result in an outstanding crispy crust, and you can do quite a few of them for a crowd.

Re: Eastern Orthodox Easter to meet Cinco de Mayo!

PostPosted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:50 am
by Shaji M
Mike,
I like the Greek take on Chili Rellenos! We do have access to peppers in town as we have quite anumber of mercados. Maybe haloumi cheese will work as well as feta. I have always found it hard to incorporate ouzo in a cocktail, but I will try out substituting ouzo for the absinthe. That should be interesting!

Jenise,
Much thanks for potatoes recipe! As of now we are 6 adults, 3 teenagers and a couple of adventerous pre-teens!

Re: Eastern Orthodox Easter to meet Cinco de Mayo!

PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 8:36 am
by Shaji M
...and it went well..
The tacos came together as expected, but the real winner among the entree was the lamb chili relleno. Instead of feta or haloumi, I reverted to queso fresco and it was delicious. Both paired well with a 2010 Unti Montepulciano. The potatoes came out like we wanted it to. There were no left overs! Thanks to all again.
-Shaji

Re: Eastern Orthodox Easter to meet Cinco de Mayo!

PostPosted: Mon May 06, 2013 11:34 am
by Mike Filigenzi
Thanks for the report - I was going to ask how it went. Sounds like a fun meal.