It's Easter! Let's EAT!

You spleeny north American types might want to skip this one.... this is the recipe for Kokoretsi - a traditional Greek appetizer popular this time of year.

Ingredients

* Guts of lamb. (You might need guts from more than one lamb. Ask for 2 hearts, 2 spleen, liver and 1 lungs, 2 testicles)
* Lamb intestines. At least 4 are required for a medium size kokoretsi
* oregano
* Salt
* Pepper
* Some olive oil

METHOD

Wash the guts very thoroughly and cut them in small pieces. Be careful not to cut them in too small pieces because you will no be able to skewer them. Wash the bowels very carefully and try to clean them from inside (use a thin stick). Leave them in a bowl and keep the ends of each intestine to one side in order to be able to separate them.

Prepare the souvla (skewer). Start skewering the guts onto the souvla. Pin one end of the first bowel in the one side of the souvla and wind the intestine around the skewer. If it reaches its end tie it with the end of the next piece and continue to wind until all intestines are wrapped and no guts are visible (you should only see the intestines along the souvla).

Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Prepare the fire and roast on all sides until guts are brown and crispy. Check that "kokoretsi" is ready and remove from fire. Cut the kokoretsi in cylinders of 5 cm wide in order to remove it from the souvla in pieces. Put in platter, oil the kokoretsi pieces, season with extra salt, pepper and oregano and serve.

God, I wish I was making this up. I am not... pass the peanut butter sandwiches please.

Kalo Pascha!

We have the biggest balls!

I was once on the island of Sifnos for about a month - Sifniots are renowned as incredible cooks. My guide book at the time urged me to hike across the mountain paths to a small village where I would find the most incredible taverna serving astonishing food. This particular place was very famous for its tyrobalakia, advised the book, and other small croquettes made from zucchini, eggplant, sausage - you name it. The guide book was right.

Mouth watering after my hike, I sashayed in to the packed taverna - alone (as always) and hopefully asked the owner - a dashing young man - if he had any cheese balls on the menu today. "We have ALL the balls," sez he! "The biggest and best on the island!" A mortified hush fell over the crowd. He blushed, I sniggered, and the crowd burst into hysterical laughter. The night went to hell after that with fantastic food, buckets of barrel wine, toasts to the largest balls and new friends.

So here is another one of my favourite recipes - with adaptations for North American cooks. Delicious as an appetizer, deadly to the waistline.


Tyrobalakia (Cheese balls)


Ingredients
250g anthotyro (ricotta-style cheese)
250g feta (piquant-style, grated)
250g kefalotyri or pecorino romano (grated)
2 eggs
3-4 tbsp flour
Ground pepper to taste
Sesame seeds
Extra virgin olive oil

Method
Mix all the ingredients together except for the sesame seeds. Add enough flour to ensure the mixture is pliable but not dry. With hands greased in olive oil, ply the cheese mixture into small balls.
Roll the balls into the sesame seeds so the balls are completely coated. Fry in olive oil and serve. The cheese balls can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, stored in the fridge and fried when ready to serve.