Cuisine Eric

July 4th is a grilling holiday. So grill this! A simple but flavorful lamb kebab flavored with fresh herbs, and garnished with a delicious Greek tzatziki yogurt condiment. It's the simple pleasures in life. 1-1/2 lb lamb (I used boneless leg), cubed into 20 1-inch pieces 1 large red pepper cut into 24 pieces (about 3/4-inch) 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves 2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves 3 cloves garlic juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup olive oil 4 kebab skewers Tzatziki for serving Mince the herbs and garlic and mix with lemon juice and oil in a bowl.    Add lamb cubes and season with salt and black pepper.   Marinate for at least an hour (or in the refrigerate overnight). Heat grill to high. Alternate 6 pieces pepper and 5 pieces lamb on four skewers.  Grill, turning on all sides, until the internal temperature of the lamb reads 135F on an instant read thermometer for medium rare. Serve with rice and tzatziki , and flatbread if desired.   Serves 4.

These flavorful burgers are one of my favorite burgers to grill.  Deep flavor notes of garlic and cumin are rounded off with the salty, earthy softness of Feta cheese.  Served with warmed flatbread and slices of crispy veggies, the dish is brought to another level with a heady flavorful Tzatziki dip on the side. 1 lb ground lamb 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 tsp cumin powder palmful fresh cilantro (or parsley), minced 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, minced 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced 2-3 oz Feta cheese, coarsely crumbled Pita or Naan bread Garnish: Cucumber slices 1/4 purple onion sliced Grape tomates, halved Tzatziki dip Mix together the lamb, herbs and spices. Then gently mix in the Feta cheese,   being careful not to grind down the feta chunks too much. Ideally, they should remain the size of peas. Form into 4 patties.    Grill or fry patties, turning once or twice, until an instant-read thermometer registers 125F in the center, for rare.   The patties will cook though a bit more

Our Bulgarian cousins have been teaching us about eggplant and caponata delights.  And I have cooked some wonders of such on the weekend.  But for weeknight cooking, I like simple 2-3 ingredient dishes like this.  There are wonderful jarred versions of caponata which contain eggplant and tomato and everything else wonderful to flavor. 6 chicken thighs 1 18-oz jar Eggplant Caponata (I used Bulgarian Sofia brand) fresh ground pepper to taste Preheat oven to 375F. Place chicken in an oiled 13x9-inch casserole. Distribute eggplant caponata about chicken evenly. Peper to taste. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serves 4-6. Cook's Note:  I removed the chicken thighs to a platter and kept them warm as I re-invigorated the sauce with some water over  a low flame.  This, I stirred into a half pound of pasta I cooked al dente.