Possible Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully
and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being

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Please Fave the original Here

In the words of "Ώρα για φαγητό !" (Time to eat!)

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Ancient Greek, that is, because the Olympics are going on so why not?

I took two recipes from Max Miller's Tasting History website, and adapted them to my purposes. Here are the original recipes for reference:
Olympic Marinated Skewers: https://www.tastinghistory.com/reci.....olympicskewers
Vitellian Peas: https://www.tastinghistory.com/reci...../vitellianpeas

Okay? Let's go!


Marinated Lamb Skewers

What You Need!

1 lb lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
9 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
a pinch of Hing*
finely-chopped cilantro**
1 tbsp dried thyme

What You Do With What You Need!

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and put the lamb in. Let it marinate, turning every now and then, in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
2. Portion the lamb out and thread the pieces onto skewers.
3. You can grill it outdoors, but thanks to the tropical storm outside I used the oven (place a foil-lined baking sheet with a wire rack on it in the oven, heat the oven to 400F (204C); when it's preheated, place the skewers on the wire rack and cook 5 minutes on one side. Flip and cook another 7 minutes. They'll be medium rare and tender).

* Hing, or asafetida, is a substitute for the fabled and now-extinct silphium (although they might have rediscovered it). It can be obtained in Indian or Asian markets.
** The recipe calls for lovage or celery leaf. I had a tube of cilantro paste (hey, it's finely chopped cilantro, and it works!).


Saucy Peas

What You Need!

1 8-ounce package frozen peas (no sauce), cooked in the microwave
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cilantro paste (in place of lovage)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil

What You Do With What You Need!

1. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients.
2. Pour the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil; drop to a simmer and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add to the cooked peas; stir.


The bread you see was a slice of sourdough bread, toasted and smeared with herbed goat cheese and fig paste.

VERDICT: The lamb was very tender and cooked through; the Hing adds a little sort of roasted onion or garlic umami, so A+ for the lamb. The peas are English sweet peas, so you don't really need more than the tablespoon of honey, and the vinegar and wine added a nice tangy note. The bread was chewy and the fig paste and goat cheese go very well together.
Overall, A+ !