Double Dipping: One Joy of Being an American Serb

"Tapping of the Eggs" Easter c.1964

(Reprinted with permission from SerbWorld USA, the November/December 2008 issue. Contact SerbWorldUSA.com to subsrcibe or order a single issue)

Most of us would agree that when it comes to ice cream cones, two scoops are better than one. When offered “butter or sour cream” with our baked potato, the common reply is, “Yes, please”.

A single serving or topping in those cases is just missing something – that “something” that elevates it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Well, I feel the same way about holidays. A single serving simply will not do!

All of my grandparents were immigrants to this country from various parts of Yugoslavia. They met and married in this country, became proud American citizens, raised their children to be Americans. They fully integrated into the fabric of American society. But, they also taught their children the Serbian Orthodox faith, and to be proud of their heritage. While each generation may seem to stray further away from the history and customs of their ancestors, most of us observe both the American and Serbian holidays.

As a child I recall feeling sorry for my “American” playmates because they had only one set of holidays. We had two Easters, two Christmases, and even two Thanksgivings – My father, Milan K., celebrated his krsna slava in November.

On Christmas my friends had to open their presents, go to church, and visit both sets of grandparents all in one day! While we Serbians got to open presents on December 25th, go to church on January 7th, and could easily visit all our grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and most of the local Serbian community throughout the long, glorious Christmas season! And who couldn’t use two extra weeks to put those New Year’s resolutions into effect?

While I love Christmas, it is Easter and Serbian Easter that really fill me with joy. The resurrection of spirit, the beautiful colors of nature everywhere the eye falls, brightly painted eggs, pretty hats and patent leather shoes.

American Easter is chocolate bunnies in hidden baskets. Serbian Easter is circling the church at midnight with candles, incense, and song, then kolo dancing after church on Sunday.

In my family both Easters include tapping the top of our colored eggs against one another’s, bringing good luck to the one whose egg does not crack.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Sometimes the calendars align and there is only one Easter”. True, but again I am twice blessed as my maternal family’s krsna slava was St. George’s day in May. In a “good year” it felt like I was celebrating Easter three times!

As with most families – and most holidays – we tend to serve the same traditional meals each year. And Easter is no exception. My two Easter meals come from my maternal grandmother, Grandma.

I don’t know what year she first started these traditions, but I know my mother and I are more than happy to continue them. I can’t recall an Easter without them.

The star of the meal for American Easter is what I refer to as “Ham and Ugly Eggs”. A name neither my grandmother nor mother ever much cared for, it does describe the dish. The eggs are ugly, but delicious.

It starts with boiling a ham. Then, one by one, raw eggs are gently tapped on the side of the pan and shell and all, dropped into the boiling liquid with the ham.

The rich, boiling ham juice fills the shells as some of the egg white escapes. The result is the aforementioned “Ugly Eggs”. Sour cherry sauce is served alongside slices of the boiled ham. Fresh steamed asparagus and cucumbers in sour cream with dill always help fill out the menu.

For Serbian Easter there is only one option, lamb! The lamb dish I am sharing with you was also dubbed with a name that Grandma did not care for, “Lamb with Greasy Rice”. This recipe was not born in the old country. It was born of Grandma‘s quick thinking and culinary invention.

My grandfather, Dede, was known for inviting guests over for dinner on the spur of the moment. Fortunately for him, Grandma enjoyed entertaining and sharing her table. She never refused Dede’s requests to add one, two, or more guests. It helped that he owned his own butcher shop and could easily bring home what was needed to accommodate the extra plates on the table.

Dede in his Butcher shop c.1920's

The story goes that on one of these occasions Grandma had started to roast a leg of lamb, so extra guests would be no problem. However, she had planned to roast potatoes with it. Dede had already left his shop when she realized that there were not enough potatoes to serve the additional diners.

“What to do? What to do?” I can almost hear her saying to herself as she studied her pantry.

Grandma & Dede c.1950

She had already added onion segments to the pan, and knew she needed to decide quickly to take advantage of those wonderful juices accumulating.

Discovering that there was plenty of rice, she came to her conclusion: use rice as she would the potatoes. She simply added raw rice to the roasting pan, coating each grain with the rich lamb and onion drippings. She then added boiling water and cooked the rice alongside the lamb and onions.

The result of this simple solution was the birth of a new family favorite and tradition, my poorly named, “Lamb with Greasy Rice”.

There really are too many wonderful celebratory meals to confine to just one set of special dates. This is part of why I love double dipping my holidays – except the 4th of July, my American pride allows only one.

However, I must confess I do not reserve this lamb dish for Easter alone, it makes many tasty appearances throughout the year. I even had a Valentine’s Day surprise when my husband (with a little guidance from my mother) prepared “Lamb with Greasy Rice” for me.

Dede c.1960 Los Angeles

Click here for the “Lamb with Greasy Rice” recipe

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