How a near holiday-meal disaster was averted

Everyone who knows me, knows I love to cook & entertain. This has taken on a special meaning since we moved to Grenada. Like us, many friends have family far away, so holidays can be a bit sad. At some point, I decided that if I couldn’t have my family with me, I would make one from my friends.

As Easter approached, I started putting together the guest list & the menu. I’m fairly well-organized, so no problem. Easter here is a four-day celebration with Saturday being the only day when stores are open & market vendors present. I had everything except for the meat for the main course. Lamb, my traditional Easter main course is horribly expensive here, so I substitute leg of goat, which is like lamb without the fat.

So, on Saturday, off I go to market early, after having left a message for my meat vendor, Petra, to set aside a nice leg of goat for me. Problem: no Petra, no goat. OK, plan B, let’s get a nice leg of pork for a pork roast. Problem: no pork left. OK, plan C, get some beef for a nice roast. Problem: the only beef left is a leg, the vendor tells me, a young cow. I buy it, thinking I’ll figure out how to carve this thing. Problem: it’s not enough to feed 18 people. Plan D, buy a couple of chickens, so off I go the supermarket. Problem: no chickens left except for 4 legs with thighs, which I have to buy.
On Easter Sunday, I manage to fit the leg of beef (calf?) into the oven, use the downstairs kitchen to bake the chickens, all is turning out well.

As the guests start to arrive, I ask who is brave enough to tackle carving the leg. Finally, Vittoria, who is a superb cook, past restaurant owner, volunteers & does a fantastic job. As a bonus, she gets to take home the huge bone for her dog.

All eat heartily, rave about the calf, the chicken & all enjoy the many contributions from guests; not traditional Easter fare, but who cares?