Greek Style Lamb Cutlets by Peter Georgakopoulos from Souvlaki for the Soul

By Peter Georgakopoulos from Souvlaki for the Soul

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My name is Peter Georgakopoulos, an Australian with a proud Greek heritage. I started my blog - Souvlaki For The Soul - in 2007 as a way to combine my passion for Greek cuisine and technology. The blog is highly visual and features a collection of traditional and modern Greek recipes with an emphasis on the Mediterranean diet. It's my passion to play and mix ingredients and create new dishes, such as my buckwheat pita bread or my avocado tzatziki. A passion that in 2009 led Souvlaki For The Soul to be awarded as The Times Online’s 50 World’s Best Food Blogs (London). 

I was also one of SBS magazine's "Feast" recipe creator and photographer and my Greek dishes and Greek inspired culinary creations are frequently featured in SBS Food.

Along with my camera, I aim to capture the beauty and simplicity of the food we eat and the big wide world around us, and after a few years break, 2020 sees me returning to my blogging full of new ideas and reborn passion!

The Greek Easter Feast 2020

I don’t think you can celebrate Easter in a Greek household and not have lamb. Not only is it traditional - it’s almost compulsory. I’ve spent many Easters indulging on lamb cooked on a traditional “souvla”. Nothing beats it, in my opinion, and it is the best reward after a period of fasting for many days. With worldwide events changing our lives daily, it’s only fitting to come up with something a little different to a traditional lamb on the spit.

This year I’m using lamb cutlets to celebrate Greek Orthodox Easter. They’re convenient, easy to prepare and can be cooked in no time. If you don’t have a barbecue at home - don’t fret! You can quickly achieve the smoky flavours of the souvla by using the Salt Odyssey’s smoked sea salt available at the Grecian Purveyor. Be sure to salt your lamb cutlets generously - lamb loves salt - especially the fatty bits around the bone.

To match the lamb I’ve paired it with a classic Greek side dish of “patates to fourno” - potatoes cooked in the oven. Let me assure you that these are not just any “ordinary potatoes” roasted in the oven. These are magical! The magic happens with the use of smoked paprika salt. It adds a beautiful depth of flavour and character to this humble potato dish.

To bring these foods together, we cannot forget the oregano and olive oil.

The oregano needs to be Greek. And yes there is a difference. The organic Greek oregano from Mountain Treasures is pungent and lends a great earthy flavour to our Greek Easter Feast.

And where would a Greek Easter celebration be without olive oil? Our “glistening gold” is brought to you by Ladi Biosas all the way from Messinia in the Southern Peloponnese, where my family originates.

Every dish you see here uses this organically cultivated, ultra-premium extra virgin olive oil in its preparation. From brushing the lamb cutlets, bathing the potatoes and drizzling it on the Greek salad - it did not disappoint! 

Food has a way of connecting us and bringing us together - even more so now. And just like the Olympic torch, I hope you can use this inspiration today to carry on your own traditions moving forward.

GREEK-STYLE LAMB CUTLETS

For one serve

Ingredients

4 lamb cutlets, excess fat trimmed

Ladi Biosas EVOO, to brush the lamb cutlets

1 tbsp Salt Odyssey smoked sea salt

cracked black pepper

1 tsp oregano by Mountain Treasures

juice of half a lemon

Instructions

1. Prepare the lamb cutlets by brushing them with a little olive oil.
2. Sprinkle liberally with the smoked sea salt, a little black pepper and the oregano.

1. Cook over a medium high heat on a grill pan for approx. 3 mins until they are browned and have a nice char. Alternatively, place them under the grill. Turn over halfway and cook the other side for another 2-3 mins.
2. Serve on a plate and squeeze over the lemon juice.
3. Serve immediately.

PATATES STO FOURNO

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 medium sized potatoes, washed, peeled, dried and cut into wedges

1/2 – 3/4 cup of olive oil - Ladi Biosas EVOO

1 tablespoon Greek oregano by Mountain Treasures

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 a cup of water

salt and pepper to taste - Salt Odyssey smoked paprika salt

Instructions

1. Start off by drizzling a very small amount of olive oil on the potatoes. Proceed to toss them in the oregano along with some salt and pepper.
2. Place the seasoned potatoes on a shallow baking pan (mine measured 10″x12″).
3. Pour the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and half the water in between the gaps created by the potatoes (if you pour these over the potatoes you will wash off the oregano).
4. Cook for 45 mins-1 hour checking halfway through… you may need to add a little more water. Potatoes are cooked when they are pierced with a fork and feel soft and tender.
5. Serve immediately along with some of the sauce from the pan.

Thank you Peter for creating this superb Easter spread for the finale of the Greek Easter Feast initiative, It's simply divine!

If you loved Peter's dishes, as much as we do, then head to https://souvlakiforthesoul.com to discover more traditional and modern Greek inspired recipes and a lot more.

KALO PASCHA everyone!