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Fine recipes for fine lamb Hello, hello, happy Saturday! For those of you for whom this day marks the end of another work week, double congrats; for those who like us are enjoying our long, national Easter and St George`s Day holiday – triple. Well deserved that rest for sure is, as Master Yoda would put it, that`s to be clear, please :) And besides of the beautiful weather we are finally blessed with, I`m so happy, because that every day gets us closer to lighting up the Easer candles and bringing the holy fire home for protection, health and good luck, playing the egg cracking game and all the other favorite customs. One of them being the most delicious meal of the year, mmm. Yes, yes, again me and the lamb obsession. But what can you do, I just adore it! So as not that much is left until we meet – yes, I even get romantic when it comes to lamb, but who can blame me – I decided to share with you some traditional recipes. First, here is a scheme of a lamb showing us how to best cook each part of it:

Neck – juicy meat, usually added to the roasted shoulder

Rack – the back, from where the tender chops come

Leg – very lean meat, ideal for roasting

Shoulder – ideal for roasting, especially if filled with traditional Easter stuffing

Breast – tender meat, for roasting

Traditional Bulgarian recipe for St George`s Day lamb (“Gergiovsko agne”)

What you need

• One small lamb

• Fresh onions, 3-4 bunches

• 0,5 kl of bulgur

• 1 bunch of parsley

• 200 g of butter

• Red pepper

• Black pepper

• 1 bunch of spearmint

• Salt to taste

What you need it for

Wash the lamb well and salt it from the inside and the outside. Take out all the oddments, wash them carefully and boil in salted water; cut them in small pieces and then braise in the butter together with the chopped parsley and spearmint; add some warm water and salt to taste. Put the ready mixture in a large baking dish, and on top arrange the lamb, covered with black pepper to taste. For best taste roast at low temperature for a really long time: 110 degrees, for 11 hours. It’s worth the patience!

On the side we always serve the so called “drob-sarma” – lamb oddments cooked with rice. Here is the

Traditional Bulgarian recipe for “drob sarma”

What you need

• One lamb`s oddments

• Lamb caul

• 2 bunches of fresh onions

• 1/2 cup of fat – sunflower oil, butter

• 100 g of rice

• 200 g of yogurt

• 2 eggs

• 10 g tomato paste

• ½ bunch of spearmint

• Black pepper and salt to taste

What you need it for

Boil the oddments in salted water, take them out of the pan and cut to small pieces. Strain the bouillon and keep it in a separate container. Chop the onions and fry it for a few minutes in the fat; add the rice, oddments, black pepper and chopped spearmint, cover with the bouillon. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Steep the lamb caul in lukewarm water for an hor. Then cut it into small pieces and inside each put some of the ready oddments with rice. Arrange the balls in a baking dish, top with some bouillon and a spoon of the diluted in water tomato paste. Bake on medium temperature. Whip the eggs together with the yogurt, pour on top of the ready dish and bake for another 10 minutes.

And here comes the delicious Traditional Bulgarian recipe for lamb shoulder with Easter stuffing

What you need

• One lamb shoulder, about 500 g of lamb oddments

• 3 bunches of  fresh onions

• 2 bunches of fresh garlic

• 1 cup of rice

• Red pepper

• Black pepper

• 1 bunch of spearmint

• 150 ml of sunflower oil

•125 g of butter

• Salt to taste

What you need it for

Carefully wash the oddments, boil them in salted water and let cool down. Keep the bouillon. Cut them in small pieces. Fry the fresh onions in the oil, then add the garlic and keep frying for another few minutes. Add the rice and oddments. Salt to taste and pour in some of the oddments` bouillon. Let the rice swell up, stir, add the spices and stir again. Wash the lamb shoulder, make a pocket in it and salt inside and outside. Place the stuffing inside the pocket and sew it. Put it in a baking dish, spread melted butter and red pepper. Pour about 300 ml of the bullion and cover with aluminum foil. Cook for about 3 hours on 180 degrees.