Sadly I didn’t invent this myself, but there was a quote attached to this recipe that I’d like to share:
“This recipe was shared with me many years ago by a friend’s Greek grandmother. It is my go-to recipe when I need something flavorful and satisfying for a dinner with friends. You can make it ahead and entertain your guests while it simmers, because it requires very little attention once it is in the oven. Pair it with a hearty red wine and serve with a green salad and crusty fresh-baked bread.”
INGREDIENTS:
– 1–2 pounds (0.5–1 kg) lamb shoulder or small leg of lamb
– 4 tablespoons (60 g) olive oil
– 1 onion, chopped
– 3 cloves garlic, crushed
– 2 tablespoons (30 g) tomato paste
– 1 cup (235 g) chopped/diced tomatoes (or one can diced tomatoes)
-3 cups (700 g) broth (vegetable or preferably beef)
– ½ (120 g) cup red wine
– 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon (5 g) ground cinnamon
– 1 bay leaf
– 8 ounces (230 g) orzo pasta
– Ground pepper and salt
– oregano (Greek ‘rigani’ if you can find it)
– 1 cup (235 g) kefalotyri cheese- grated for garnish (or use a good grated pecorino-romano, or a really good feta)
Recipe:
– Preheat oven to 325 F (163 C).
– Chop lamb in chunks
– Season lamb with oil, kosher salt, pepper and oregano.
– Heat oil in Dutch oven on medium-high.
– Sauté onion until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
– Add garlic and sauté until aromatic (do not allow the garlic to burn), then add lamb.
– Sear lamb to lock in juices. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side, then remove from pan.
– Deglaze Dutch oven: Increase heat to high, and add red wine; it will begin to boil very quickly. With tongs or a wooden spoon, scrape pan to get all bits of lamb, onions and garlic incorporated into the wine, as the alcohol evaporates.
– Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes (with juices), broth, cinnamon and bay leaf to Dutch oven and bring to a bubble.
– Return lamb to Dutch oven.
– Add the bone as well for extra flavour
– Remove from stove top and place, covered, in oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
– Add orzo after about 1 hour. Stir, adding more liquid if necessary or leaving uncovered if there is too much liquid and raise oven temperature to 350 F (177 C) .
– Serve pieces of lamb on a bed of orzo in a small casserole or crock, and top generously with grated cheese or crumbled Feta.
This recipe also works well in a crock pot! For a crock pot, cook for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. Reduce the amount of broth to 1 ½ cups.