Recipe: Lamb Kleftiko

This traditional Greek dish offers flavour and comfort. A marinated lamb slow-cooked till tender and served with roasted vegetables and seasoned basmati rice.

Our wine suggestion to compliment this recipe are the 2019 Domaine Papagiannakos Erythros, with undertones of herbs, dark berries and spice, and the richly flavoured 2020 Salwey Oberrotweil Grauburgunder, a surprising companion to this flavourful dish.

LAMB KLEFTIKO RECIPE

SERVING 8 PORTIONS
PREP TIME: 45 minutes
MARINADE TIME: 6 hours or overnight
COOK TIME: 4 to 4.5 hours
NOTES: This dish is comprised of three parts, the lamb, the vegetables and the rice.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE LAMB

  • 2 each (about 4 lbs.) SIRLOIN OF LAMB
  • 2 tbsp GRAINY DIJON MUSTARD
    1 tsp. DRIED OREGANO
  • 2 tsp. FRESH THYME, (chopped)
  • 65 ml LEMON JUICE
  • 100 ml EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
  • 2 tsp PAPRIKA POWDER
  • 2 tsp ONION POWDER
  • 2 tsp GARLIC POWDER
  • SALT to taste

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE LAMB

  1. Trim the lamb of any excess fat.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly and add the lemon juice and olive oil.
  3. Keeping some mixture for the vegetables, marinate the lamb in the remaining mixture for at least 6 hours.
  4. After 6 hours, line a roasting pan with pieces of two large parchment papers in a cross pattern. Spread the marinated vegetables in the bottom and place the marinated lamb on top of the vegetables. You can add a little stock or water to the pan at this point and pour the remaining marinade over the lamb.
  5. Fold the overlapping parchment paper to make an envelope and crimp the edges nice and tight.
  6. Place in a 350*F oven for 4-4.5 hours until the lamb is cooked and is fork tender.
  7. Open the parchment paper and increase the oven temperature to 425*F for 10-15 minutes to give the lamb and the vegetables some color.
  8. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Pull the meat apart with the fork and serve the lamb and vegetables with hot lemon rice. Don’t forget to use some of the braising liquid as sauce!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE VEGETABLES

  • 1 large ONION
  • 2 each BELL PEPPERS
  • 2 each TOMATOES

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE VEGETABLES

  1. Peel and wash the onions and cut into large dice.
  2. Wash and core the bell peppers and cut into large dice.
  3. Wash and cut the tomatoes into large dice.
  4. Marinate the vegetables with some of the reserved marinade from the lamb.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE RICE

  • 2 cups BASMATI RICE
  • 1 each LEMON
  • A pinch of SAFFRON
  • ½ each of ONION
  • 75 ml OLIVE OIL
  • 1 tsp DRY OREGANO
  • SALT to taste

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE RICE

  1. Pick through and wash the rice thoroughly under running water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice in water for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Peel and chop the onion and soak the saffron in warm water.
  3. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom pan and sauté the chopped onions until translucent.
  4. Add the sliced lemons.
    Drain the soaked rice and add to the pan. Stir the rice in the pan to coat with the oil evenly and mix with the onions and lemon slices.
  5. Now add 3.5 cups of water to the rice and mix in salt and dry oregano. Add the saffron along with the liquid in which it was soaking and mix thoroughly.
  6. Let the liquid come to a boil, cover, and then simmer the rice until cooked.
  7. Hold warm for service.