Recipe: Kleftiko (slow-cooked lamb)

This Greek classic is as old as the road to, er… Athens? And it has been around for so long for good reason. Juicy lamb that practically falls off the bone just by looking at it. What’s not to love? Serve it with pilaf and a salad of bitter leafy greens and you have a complete meal.

Susie: ‘The Greek kleftiko means ‘stolen meat’ and refers to ancient times, when poachers would steal a goat or a sheep and then cook the meat very slowly in an underground oven or a sealed cooking pot so they would not give themselves away by the smell!’

How to make it

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Cover the bottom and sides of a deep roasting tin with two long pieces of aluminium foil, overlapping them in a cross. Cover the foil with baking paper and pour a very small amount of olive oil onto the bottom. Place the lemon slices and garlic on top.
• Rub the lamb all over with a little oil and season generously with pepper and salt. Place the meat on top of the lemon and garlic.
• Pour the red wine over the meat and sprinkle with rosemary.
• Wrap the baking paper and then the foil around the meat, and fold the ends tightly closed.
• Place the roasting tin in the oven for 3 hours, until the meat falls off the bone. Open the parcel and return everything to the oven for another 30 minutes, so the meat can brown lightly.
• Carefully remove the meat from the bone and serve it on a green salad. Add a few garlic cloves and some lemon slices to each serving.

Title: The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook
Author: Susie Theodorou
Price: €20,00
Publisher: Spectrum

Also read:

• Recipe: Ras el Khellout
• Fig tart with pistachio & halloumi
• Tinder for vegetarians and vegans