Today in Greece, it’s one of the biggest celebrations of food, it’s  
“Tsiknopempti” or literally, “burnt Thursday”.
In Greece, they are well into Carnival celebrations. The most well known city for Carnival celebrations takes place in Patra but there are other cities & towns with their own unique, most interesting and often hilarious ways of celebrating the pagan rituals just before Lent.
Take a look at this report on the Carnival in Patra from the Travel Channel UK———>Carnival in Patra
Now back to Tsiknopempti. The compound word was given to this day from the very evident of smell of roasting meat on this Thursday. Although Greeks are huge om grilling and roasting their meats, you’ll find the majority packed in tavernas where platters upon platters of meat are served to the waiting mouths of hungry Carnival revellers.
Over here in Canada, it is too cold to be grilling outside or to be sitting “al fresco” enjoying a feast of endless platters of meats in the terrace of a taverna.
Therefore, one has to adapt to one’s surroundings and make do.
The subject – lamb. The inspiration -Michael Psilakis. The occasion – Tsiknopempti.
For those not in the know, Michael Psilakis is the chef and part-owner of Anthos and Kefi in Mahattan, New York. Last year I had the pleasure of dining at Kefi and I enjoyed Michael’s twists & turns with Greek food.
This dish probably was something he would have offered at the more upscale Anthos. It’s not that it’s a complicated dish but there are some extra-steps required to pull this dish off with panache.
I highly recommend roasting the garlic (integral part of the dish’s flavour) and for that perfect pink lamb, a meat thermometer here is your friend.
As a pairing with this visually attractive and delicious dish, I whipped up a spin on my Potatoes and Feta “au gratin”. I toned down the dish, omitting the rosemary and olives and just went for potatoes, Bechamel and Feta.
The star here was the rack of lamb and I was looking for a creamy, warm pairing to complement the lamb and it’s bold flavours.
The third component to the dish was some blanced green beans that got tossed in some the extra paste that was made for the lamb’s sun-dried tomato and garlic crust.
I brought the whole dish together with the serving of an Alpha Estate Xinomavro. Xinomavro grapes are an indigenous Greek varietal Alpha Estate’s winery is located in my parents’ municipality of Amynteon, Florinis.
Got a hot date coming up? Perhaps you want to treat your significant other, husband or wife a feast of the Greek Gods? This could be your dish.
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at https://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
53 Responses
I love lamp roasted like this, but have to admit i like mine fully done, just personaly liking, here to the carnival buzz in on next tuesday was have a big procession etc..
Everything about this looks great! Especially your gratin… I mean I know the lamb is the star and it looks great too, but feta with potatoes and cream? yum!
Love this plate Peter…the lamb, potatoes and the use of sundried tomatoes on the rack! Just incredible!
I forgot about “tsiknopempti”…you’ve done a beaut job with the lamb and all the sides mate!
Hey peter!
I’m popping my head out from blog-sabbatical to say nice one on the new blog! It’s 32c here, so I think the alfresco version would suit me better right now. Your lamb is beautifully cooked, in fact, altogether a beautifully put together dinner!
Nom nom nom ;)
Mmmmmm!!!! I´m hungry….lovely this plate. Un saludiño.
Happy Tsiknopempti Peter. Και του χÏονου.
I want to go to Greece just to eat this dish. OMG, that looks just amazing.
Wow, that is one amazing looking meal. I order lamb out a lot but almost never make it at home, now I’m tempted to put it on the menu
Just reading the title of the post before clicking on it in my blog list, I thought “How decadent!” Indeed I was right. This meal is amazing. The lamb, the au gratin, the green beans … I don’t know which to salivate over first!
We were away for the long weekend and having just returned the day before, it totally escaped my attention that it was Tsiknopempti … didn’t we just finish up with Christmas??? Where does the time go … ;)
It’s 9:00 in the morning, my mouth is watering, that looks so damm good!!
That lamb is a thing of beauty, Peter, as are the potatoes! My salivary glands are in overdrive!
Over the top incredible looking…WOW now this really is like Susan said a thing of beauty
happy tsiknopempti – this is the best way to celebrate it
I got here a little late today but I hope you saved some for me. Seriously, over-the-top delicious looking! Great job.
This dish is amazing Peter, I hope you shared it with someone special. I definitely want to give this a try! Too good for words!
It all looks delicious!!! Great job!
Love this Peter, really love xxx Gloria
Happy ‘Burnt Thursday’! I love lamb but somehow they are pretty pricey here. Or maybe they are pricey everywhere and its just me who doesn’t know it. lol.
Peter, can you find mint sauce in Canada? Just wondering since they only sell mint jelly.
p.s. Thanks for the link! :)
truly a perfect meal…. :)
What a gorgeous looking plate! This rack is extremely well cooked. Perfect and mighty scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh my dear, watering mouth! Editing my Christmas list now…changing number 9…to…”Get Peter to cook this meal for me…”
Perfect and pink, just how we love it !!!!!
What a great way to celebrate!!
What an incredible meal. The lamb is perfectly cooked and the potatoes are killing me. Great post.
Just came home from the market with a nice lot of meat to grill in the fireplace tonight!! Your lamb is a true thing of beauty – and oh-so-tasty!! ΚαλÎÏ‚ ΑπόκÏιες!
Delicious!
that all looks amazing! i think i am going to come kidnap you and make you cook for me all the time!
for some reason i’ve never been a huge fan of the sun drieds. but w/ meat cooked that perfectly, i’d prob. forget all about that.
That dish with a xinomavro is really perfect!!!
Nice that you inform everybody about our celebration of carnival Peter:))
Whoa … love the little potato tunnel in that first photo! Those frenched chops look amazing, as do the potatoes! I’ve not heard of Burnt Thursday. Is there a common toast to be made, too? I wouldn’t be able to make too much conversation, though, as I would be busy gnawing on my lamb bones to bet every last morsel! Love those green beans you plated with the L and P’s, too. YUM!
Pardon my language but holy shit, this looks like an amazing meal! Between the lamb (cooked perfectly by the way), the sundried tomatoes, the potatoes…I’m in heaven.
Beautiful! There’s nothing like a good cut of lamb for my money!
Wow Peter this looks AMAZING! By far my favorite dish you have done! Yum!
What a splendid repast, Peter. The photos are stunning and the whole plate goes together perfectly. Well done!
Oooh look at you and your fancy presentation!
Wow is all I can say – that lamb looks good, really good!
As for the potatoes and feta – guess what I’m making tonight?!!
Great photos and great recipe Peter as always.
The lamb looks divine. I haven’t seen one that looked that good in ages (Italians like their lamb well done) and what an elegant presentation! A feast for the tummy and the eyes!
Your rack of lamb looks perfect. I want to have a bite right away. And I love the roast garlic, I make these to spread on my baguette at times.
cheesy taters AND meat flavored with my favorite sun-dried tomatoes? this is a double whammy. :)
Delicious looking lamb. I agree with you rather than with the posters here. Lamb is better when it’s a little pink!
When you said “Carnival” I was thinking this was a Mardi Gras recipe. Burnt Thursday sounds like a variation on Fat Tuesday – well in my twisted mind it does anyway.
Another fabulous recipe. The sun dried toms sound delicious! Just made some scalloped potatoes myself last weekend. Your version with feta is something I know we’d like. Loving the new banner photo!
Wow Peter, great plating! I love the wild thyme garnish.
That lamb looks fabulous.
LL
The lamb looks perfectly cooked. Everything is tempting. (how about a little ketchup? It’s 2009!…LOL) Kiddin!
Did you French the lamb yourself? It’s beautiful!
A very nice plate !
Χθες βγηκα για σουβλακια κ εφαγα κι ενα για σενα !
Φιλια
Wowza Peter, this looks like an awesome awesome meal! I am just drooling!
Love the new rotating photo in your banner!
Congrats on the swanky new website! I love that lamb.
Oh my GAHHHHH that lamb looks insanely good!!
This is definitely a dish for a hot date. The lamb is perfectly cooked and the potatoes and feta dish looks mind-blowing. Thanks, Peter!
It’s amazing how time flies and we are already in the pre-Lenten period. Your dishes all look delicious. ΚαλÎÏ‚ αποκÏιÎÏ‚!!
you have got everything right here! garlic! sundried tomatoes! feta! lamb! all those typical mediterranean ingredients i adore!! great dish peter!
I have some lamb breast sitting in the freezer looking for a recipe. This might just be it:-)
Sensational!lamb is my favorite meat. Love the use of sun dried tomatoes.