Wherever you are, March brings new beginnings, the first true month of Spring. After two decades, I have finally returned to my motherland of Greece, symbolically resurrecting my culture, and bringing to life after such a long time the most important part of who I am. Wrapping my head around phrases and words, getting into the groove of local culture, navigating a country that feels so familiar is my way of poking up past the soil; the seeds planted through my whole childhood now making their way up to flourish again. It is not lost on me after losing both my parents in the last few years that this trip is more than a travel excursion…it is a stronger urge to spring forward madly, creatively, to make sure the efforts of my legacy stay rooted. 

To my delight, the words have started to tumble out, and even though I struggle to put my thoughts together and articulate them, I surprise myself and my family with the fluency of my second language; I can describe our Canadian landscape to taxi drivers and enquire about our waiters’ children. I can ask for fresh towels and a bucket of ice for our ouzo. I can order at the table and compliment a meal. The girls love the attention of local yiayia’s and papou’s who call them koukles, and who ask them their names, how old they are, and offer them the best seats in restaurants.

I feel an enormous regret that I have not spoken Greek at home and raised my daughters with this language; what is fascinating is seeing how they pick up words, how they recognize common phrases, their ears perked to recognize a familiar word, especially in an ice cream shop to order their pistachio and mint pagoto. It is true- to learn a new language is best by total immersion and through context; in our case in the towns of Santorini, with views to the Aegean, small blue domes dotted with white crosses, clusters of white homes like a thick layer of icing on top of volcanic rock, with rolling hills of freshly blooming chartreuse blooms and flowers. We are under the spell of nature, the warm hospitality of locals, the filoxenia of a town ready to welcome back tourists, these strangers and travellers sent from God that are considered holy, respectable, and honored persons. As her first guests, perhaps we have an obvious advantage, Spring travel is very different from the thick of July and August, where the country is slammed with hot heat and huge crowds. I would think Spring tourists are in fact the holy ones, perhaps the crowds hanging out of hot tubs with bottles of Mythos beer and overwhelming local taverna’s later in the summer require more patience and blessings and probably require a daily meditation practice for hospitality workers; their eyes closed, hands tucked under their chins in prayer position…remember Manolis, they are Holy People, We Will Smile and Be Kind…a chant repeated before one’s shift, over and over again. 

If I was at home, it would be seeing the hundreds of bulbs planted in the fall peeking their heads out, having survived the strange snow and sun conditions of our west coast winter. It would be those first warm days of sun in Vancouver where the sudden need to go to Home Depot and start all the outdoor projects conflicts with that same urgency to sit at a beach and rotate our faces like sunflowers to the sun. 

Before we left, I attempted to make Arni Kleftiko, Greek lamb cooked in parchment paper for extra flavour. This recipe is steeped in history and is named after the Klephts, a group of bandits who fought Ottoman rule in Greece between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries. They would cook covertly, in the earth, to not indicate where they were by way of smoke. A little battle on the fields, followed by a ton of flavour at base camp seems like an ideal day of patriotism. Trying this same dish here, I realize it is common to add red peppers to the tray of vegetables, an option to try at home. Otherwise, we have hit all the notes required of this recipe. I’ve also included a variation of using kataifi, a shredded phyllo that bakes lightly and offers a great base for a warmed syrup, shaped like nests for Easter. Ice cream finished with spoon sweets, common as an afternoon desert, feels authentic and is also gorgeous on any Easter or Spring Table.

When I return home, it will be to a big Spring Clean, a Spring Purge, a frenetic cleaning that takes over at least a week of my time and sends shockwaves through the home, my children protectively guarding their rooms, ducking for cover. The desire to shake off what has felt heavy and unwanted could be bags dropped off to charity and bags of weeds and branches pruned throughout the garden. But it could be more.

I finally also see March as a time to realign with what feels right; Spring is a beautiful compass that can redirect us, course correct, and point us in the right direction if we let her. She brought me back to Greece, I’m grateful I trusted her this year…her instincts were right. I did need to come home. 

 Ingredients

 Syrup

1 Cup water

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp corn syrup

1 cinnamon stick

1 strip lemon and 1 tbsp lemon zest

Nests

 1 ½ package Kataifi dough

1 stick butter, melted

 1 Jar Fabbri Amarena Cherries in Syrup

Vanilla Ice Cream

Instructions

 Preheat the oven to 325F.

 Syrup: Combine all ingredients and simmer for 5-7 minutes on low heat. Set aside to cool down.

 Separate the kataifi into 12 equal portions into a muffin tin and cover the bottom and sides evenly to make the nests. Brush with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes and lightly golden. When out of the oven, douse with the syrup and let cool. Remove from tin and start assembling with a scoop of ice cream and then the cherries with a little bit of syrup.

 Ingredients

 1 boneless leg of lamb, about 3 ½ pounds, trimmed of excess fat

2 ½ tablespoons dried oregano, divided

1 tablespoon dried thyme, divided

1 tablespoon dried parsley, divided

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

10 garlic cloves, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ cup white wine

Olive oil

4 to 5 large Russet potatoes, about 3 pounds, peeled and quartered

1 large white onion, sliced thickly

½ cup vegetable or beef broth

 Instructions

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. And position a rack in the middle.

Season and marinate the lamb. Place the boneless leg of lamb in a large bowl. Using a sharp knife, make a few slits in the boneless leg of lamb. Rub the lamb all over with 2 tablespoons dried oregano and ½ tablespoon each dried thyme and dried parsley. Season well with kosher salt and black pepper on all sides. Then rub with the mustard and the majority of the garlic (reserving 1 tablespoon of the garlic for the vegetables). Transfer the lamb to a large bowl and add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, white wine and about ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil, turning the lamb in the bowl to make sure it is well coated. Set the lamb aside for a few minutes while working on the vegetables.

 Prepare the roasting pan and parchment paper. Line a large roasting pan with two very large pieces of parchment paper, making a cross shape so that you have long pieces of parchment overhang on all sides of the pan.

 Assemble the vegetables and lamb in the pan. Spread the potatoes and onions in the bottom of the pan over the parchment. Season with a good pinch of salt and black pepper and the remainder of the dried oregano, thyme, and parsley. Sprinkle the remainder of the garlic on top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add the lamb on top of the potatoes and pour the broth in from the side of the pan. 

Fold the parchment to cover the lamb and vegetables. Pull parchment paper sides together and tightly crimp them up to fully encase the lamb and vegetables in the parchment parcel.

 Roast. Place the roasting pan on the center rack of your heated oven and cook for about 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours or until the meat is tender and falls apart easily at the touch of your fork.

 Brown. Uncover the meat and veggies and fold excess parchment paper into the inside of the pan. Raise the heat to 425°F and return the pan to the oven (uncovered) for a few more minutes until the lamb and vegetables gain some color (about 15 to 20 minutes) to 425°F to allow the meat and veggies to brown).

 Let rest. Once ready, allow the lamb kleftiko to sit for about 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

STYLING SOURCES:

Tall Vase: Handrafted Taper Vase, Clear, Pottery Barn

Water Carafe: ‘Sukat Makkaralla’ Pitcher, 1L, Marimekko Vancouver

 Water Glasses: ‘Sukat Makkaralla’ Tumblers, Clear, Set of 2, Marimekko Vancouver

Bud Vases: ‘Fyr’, Marimekko Vancouver

Candle Holder: ‘Puteli’, Clear, Marimekko Vancouver

Platter: ‘Iso’ Unikko Serving Dish, 25x36cm, Marimekko, Vancouver

Napkin: Unikko Sateen Napkins, Set of 3, Marimekko Vancouver

 Cutlery: Iittala ‘Citterio 98’, Gabriel Ross

 Knives: Laguiole, Crate and Barrel

 Dinnerware: ‘Oiva’ Marimekko Vancouver

 Wine Glasses: Iittala ‘Essence’, Inform Interiors

 Flowers: V&J Plant Shop, Granville Island

Large Serving Bowl: Martha Sturdy, Provide

 Water Carafe: ‘Sukat Makkaralla’ Pitcher, 1L, Marimekko Vancouver

 2 Piece Serving Set: ‘Vichy’, Fushia by Sabre, Bacci’s Vancouver