Greek recipes for the grill

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, oregano, savory, olive oil, pepper, salt and lemon juice.

Place the racks of lamb in one or two large pans. Pour the marinade evenly over the lamb, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator. For maximum flavor, the lamb should marinate overnight.

Prepare the grill: cover 1 cup of wood chips with water (chips are available in many different varieties; we suggest cherry wood or pecan to complement lamb). Heat a standard gas grill to medium, or light a charcoal grill, allowing the coals to burn to the light ash stage. Brush or rub grill with olive oil to prevent lamb from sticking.

When the grill has reached the proper temperature, place the soaked wood chips on top of the grill rack (chips will give off a flavorful smoke). Remove the rack of lamb from its marinade and remove any excess to prevent flare-ups; season with salt and pepper and lay racks on the grill, flesh side down, directly over heat. Cook 3-4 minutes or until lightly charred, turn over to the bone side, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet to rest.

When the racks are cool enough to handle, cut into individual chops. Season with salt and pepper, lightly brush each chop with oil and return to the grill (rack chops cut side down). Cook 1-2 minutes or until lightly marked, turn chops slightly to make cross marks. Turn chops over and grill an additional 1-3 minutes for medium rare to medium (for well done, cook an additional 4-5 minutes).

Remove lamb to a platter (grill marks facing up), lightly brush with oil, sprinkle with oregano and serve with lemon wedges, 2 per serving.

Combine dill through salt and pepper to taste. Put the salmon fillets in a baking dish and cover with marinade. Let stand 3 hours, covered and refrigerated.

Remove the salmon from its marinade and wipe away any excess to prevent flare-ups; season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper and place on the grill, skin side down, directly over heat. Cook 3 minutes or until the skin is lightly charred, turn and cook an additional 2 minutes for medium rare. Transfer to a baking sheet to rest.

Roughly chop the cucumber and add it to the bowl of a food processor with a pinch of salt. Process until very finely chopped. Line a colander or other strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Transfer puree to the colander, and drain (this takes about 30 minutes).

Squeeze cheesecloth to extract any remaining juices from the cucumbers, and then discard the cloth with its contents.

Add the yogurt to a stainless steel mixing bowl, and slowly whisk in the cucumber juice, with 1T lemon juice. Add the chopped garlic, mix well, and season to taste with salt & pepper. The sauce should be the consistency of a creamy vinaigrette.

When making a cooking liquid for grains and rice, the liquid should be highly seasoned. The seasoning imparts flavor to the starch. Conversely, an under-seasoned stock results in flat, flavorless grains.

Seasoned vegetable and herb tea for the bulghur wheat:

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and cook over medium-low heat 25 minutes. Strain and reserve tea for cooking grains

Place 2 1/2 TBSP olive oil in a sauce pot over medium heat, add diced onion and cook for 15 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add a pinch of salt to season, stir, and add bulghur wheat. Combine well to thoroughly coat grains. Add 1 1/2 cups vegetable and herb tea, stir and cover. Reduce heat to low. Cook bulghur wheat until the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff grains to separate. Cover pot, turn off heat and let wheat stand until it blooms, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Bring 2 separate pots of salted water, each seasoned with a bay leaf and two cloves of garlic, to a boil. Add the red lentils to one and the green to the other, and when the water returns to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook lentils another 1 to 2 minutes (taste; the lentils should be toothsome but not mushy). Drain and spread lentils on two separate cookie sheets to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the lentils and the bulghur wheat with the lemon juice and zest, scallions, mint, pine nuts, and cucumbers. Toss and finish with the extra virgin olive oil. Serve.