Meat Burgers

I can’t believe that we used to eat such revolting burgers (patties) or “meat” cutlets. As kids, we used to think that having those Dalepak lamb grills, were such a treat – ugh. Now, that I’ve grown up, my tastes are more refined and I’m more educated with food and nutrition – there’s no way, I’ll go near those alien things again.

Meat & Rice Dolmades - Greek Stuffed Vine Leaves

On one of our first dates, J took me to a Turkish restaurant in London. At that time in my life, my only real experience with food was traditional Chinese. I was skeptical about almost everything that arrived at the table, dolmades was one of them.

The only Chinese, leaf-stuffed dish is lor mai gai - chicken and rice, steamed in a lotus leaf wrap. You don’t eat the leaf wrapper in this dish. I was so inexperienced with eating other Worldly cuisines, that I assumed you shouldn't eat the vine (grape) leaf around the dolmades. It makes me laugh thinking about it now... there was me scooping out the filling of the dolmades, as J watched on, making weird faces. It makes me laugh even harder, when I recall seeing the waiter's face, as he took away the plate.

Kefthedes - Greek Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Kefthedes is a popular dish served during a meze dinner. They are lamb meatballs, which are lightly spiced with cumin. Here they are served with a thick tomato sauce, and although they don’t look like much, they are bursting with flavor and have an exceptionally tender texture. This dish is wonderful with tabbouleh or a simple cous cous side dish.

Although traditionally made with lamb, you can use minced (ground) beef instead. The kefthedes are good without the tomato sauce, so feel free to try them on their own if you wish.

Lamb Bhuna

Last year we had an Indian-themed New Year’s Eve dinner. I wanted a nice range of dishes to satiate our craving for Indian food, so I dug through all of my Indian recipe books.