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Grilled Greek Lamb


Humans have in common deeply felt unreasoned inclinations and aversions such as the gratitude we feel
for a fire, a real fire, on a cold night.  I suppose these might be called instincts or atavisms.   We have
strong feelings about food: consider the fear which children often show when they find something new
and unusual on their plate, or the sense of being cherished we feel when a loved one serves us an old
favorite.   Some of the things we eat speak to and satisfy primal inclinations, and meat cooked over a fire
is one of them.   Grilled lamb with Greek seasonings is meat at its very best.   The seasonings perfect
the flavor of lamb; it is tender and toothsome; it satisfies the way freshly baked bread does.  This recipe
will satisfy four.

Ingredients:
One and one half pounds of lamb cutlets, more or less, cut three quarters of an inch thick
Consider cutting them into fingers three quarters inch wide and deep and about three inches long.
(see About Lamb)
One garlic clove, pressed
Juice and zest of a lemon
One teaspoon dried oregano
One quarter teaspoon ground black pepper
Two tablespoons olive oil

Lay the cutlets out on a suitable surface such as a cutting mat.   Mix the lemon juice, the lemon zest and
the pressed garlic together and spread over the cutlets, then sprinkle on the oregano and pepper.   Using
your fingers, spread a moderate coating of olive oil over the cutlets.   Stack them on a platter: this will
expose both sides of the cutlets to the seasonings.   Cover with plastic wrap and let the flavors mingle in
the refrigerator for an hour or two.
Grill the cutlets over a fiercely hot bed of coals less than two minutes on each side (see Fires for Grilling).
Turn them with tongs or a spatula rather than a fork to avoid losing any juices.   The cutlets should be rare
to medium-rare.
I like to serve these with a Greek salad, bread hot out of the oven and a dry red wine.

This page is copyright © 2014 by Roy Pittman.