How to Roast a Lamb_ New Greek Classic Cooking - Michael Psilakis [38]
While I don’t specifically remember cleaning up, I do remember the way I felt planning, preparing, and presenting that meal. I knew I wanted to experience that feeling as much and as often as possible. I’d always vaguely understood that there was something far more important in my mother’s cooking than the ingredients in her recipes. But after planning and cooking this meal, I really understood: it was the love and passion with which she cooked each thing that made it so special. I felt the joy of presenting something I myself had created to the people I loved in the form of this gift—and giving that gift gave back tenfold to me. I had seen the joy on my parents’ faces when we delivered those overflowing trays and I knew I had made them proud, and that in turn filled me with joy. I was proud of what I had created.
I had been raised to do what I had just done. As the oldest son, I had taken charge, executed a plan, looked after and included all of my siblings, and directed them in what to do. Little did I know it then, but in cooking and presenting that first meal I was preparing myself for a career in the kitchen.
From that day on, and for many months to come, I would run home after school so I could watch television. Unlike my peers, I wasn’t trying to catch Scooby-Doo, but rather Julia Child and Company. My mother had only one cookbook to her name, From Julia Child’s Kitchen, but she never actually cooked from that book or any other. I distinctly remember the orange spine of that cookbook, and I remember Julia cooking on TV. It was from that book and show that I cooked my first recipes, my first roast chicken and my first pork chops. I was on my way to becoming a chef, all thanks to that first meal of breakfast in bed.
The recipes that follow are a selection of the first recipes I ever cooked, those that I hold especially dear. They are not only the recipes that I learned from my mother, but also the recipes that set me on my path to becoming a chef. If you try only one recipe from this entire book (although my wish is that you’ll try many more), I hope it will be from this section. These recipes are a window into my childhood and the springboard into my life in the kitchen.
WHOLE CHICKEN SOUP WITH AVGOLEMONO & ORZO
SOUPA AVGOLEMONO
SERVES 4 TO 6
This is a hearty, traditional Greek dish. It’s more economical to buy whole chickens rather than chicken pieces, so you may remove four breasts from two whole chickens and freeze them for souvlaki, or grilled chicken for one of the salad recipes. The bones of the chicken add great body and flavor to this broth.
2 (3½-pound) chickens
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons blended oil (90 percent canola, 10 percent extra-virgin olive)
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1½ stalks celery, finely chopped
½ Spanish or sweet onion, finely chopped
2 fresh bay leaves or 3 dried leaves
3 large sprigs thyme
1 cup white wine
Water as needed
1 cup orzo
FOR THE AVGOLEMONO
3 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
4 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup small, picked sprigs dill
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the breasts from both chickens and double-wrap in plastic wrap. Place inside a zipper-lock bag, label, and freeze for the next time you make souvlaki. Remove the leg-thigh joints from the chicken, pull off the skin, and discard. Set aside.
Place the chickens in a large roasting pan, season with kosher salt and pepper, and roast for 1 hour, until golden.
In a large, heavy pot, warm the blended oil over medium-high heat. Add all the vegetables and cook until softened but not browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and thyme, then deglaze the pot