Growing up in Bulgaria we always had lamb for Easter. It is an old religious symbol that has been adopted by many branches of the Christian faith, and especially the Eastern Orthodox. Lamb is believed to represent Jesus and relates his death to that of the lamb, sacrificed on the first Passover.

However, since I grew up in times when religious beliefs were strongly discouraged in communist Bulgaria, my grandma and then my mother rarely talked about religion when preparing the Easter lunch. So for me, the festive Easter meal with family and friends has become associated a lot more with celebrating the beginning of spring than the resurrection of Christ.

Today, I like to carry on some of that tradition in my house and prepare a big lunch with lamb and fresh spring fare in honor of my grandma who never gave up her faith.

If you haven’t decided what to make this Sunday there is still time to plan a delicious spring lunch that will take almost no time.  Here is just a suggestion. This is easy to make on any given week night as well.

For the Lamb Chops

Serves 4

• 8 lamb chops
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons  fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper in food processor, add oil, pulse until pasty. Cover the lamb chops with paste on both sides. Let chops sit for at least one hour to absorb all flavors. Turn grill on high. Grill chops for 1 and 1/2-2 minutes on each side on high to sear them, then turn grill down to medium-low and grill another 3-4 minutes  flipping the chops once.

For Yogurt-Mint Sauce

Prepare sauce while the chops are sitting in the herb paste. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

• 1 cup plain, Greek-style yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste

Mix yogurt, garlic and lemon juice in blender.  Add mint and continue mixing. Add cumin pepper and salt and pulse one more time.

I served this meal with a fresh spring salad with radishes for which I’ll give the recipe in a separate post.

Click for printable version.

Are you making anything special this Sunday? I’d love to know.