Sun, sea & slow cooking
20:07:2011
Whilst on my foodie travels in Crete an elderly inhabitant told me a story – ‘in the old days…’ she began, rustlers would steal a whole sheep from the hills and cook it very slowly, surrounded by smouldering coals, in a closed pit in the ground. This avoided incriminating smells and smoke giving the game away! The resulting slow-cooked dish became known as Kleftico (‘Klevo’ apparently meaning to steal) and is now incredibly popular throughout Greece and beyond. With barbecue season now in full-swing it seems such a shame that here in the UK we often rely solely on expensive cuts such as steaks and fillets for al fresco cooking. Why relegate slow cooking to the winter months when, with inspiration from those quick-thinking thieves in Greece, we could be enjoying fabulously tender, more economical cuts right now? Slightly stumped at the prospect of digging a firepit in my small city garden, however, I have instead created a summery lamb Kleftico recipe perfect for slow cooking at a low temperature in the oven, leaving the cook to enjoy the best of the English summer outside.
Super-slow lamb kleftico
I think shoulder of lamb is one of the very best cuts of meat. With slow cooking it becomes meltingly tender and is far more flavour-packed and economical than a leg. Cooking it long and slow in a tightly sealed tray keeps it succulent, moist and full of intense taste – I’m told that in Greece versions of this dish would be cooked buried in a firepit in the ground. This version involves less dirt and digging but should taste just as good!
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 hours
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
3 onions, thickly sliced
2 garlic cloves, cut in half horizontally
150ml dry white wine (why not try something Greek?)
100ml cold water
25g Bertolli spread
1 tbsp dried oregano
1.8kg shoulder of lamb (bone in)
800g new or baby potatoes, scrubbed
1 lemon, sliced
100g pitted Kalamata olives
700g selection of green vegetables
- Preheat oven to 220°C, Gas mark 7. Place the sliced onions into a large roasting tin and top with 1 of the halved garlic bulbs. Pour over the white wine and 100ml of cold water.
- Mix the Bertolli with some seasoning and the dried oregano. Rub this mixture all over the lamb, massaging it into every nook and cranny! Place the lamb on top of the onions. Cover with a double layer of foil and seal very tightly around the edges. Place in the oven, turn the temperature down to 170°C, Gas mark 3 and cook for 3 hours.
- Carefully open up the foil. Add the potatoes and stir them into the pan juices, then add the sliced lemon, olives and remaining garlic. Stir once more until well coated. Re-cover tightly and return to the oven for another 2 hours.
- Transfer the lamb to a large platter or board, cover and keep warm while the meat rests. Meanwhile, spoon the potatoes, onion, olives and lemon into a bowl. Serve the meat (which won’t need carving, but serving with a spoon and fork as it’s so tender) with the vegetables and the pan juices spooned over. Steamed green veggies are a perfect accompaniment to this dish, as is a chilled glass of the remaining white wine used in the recipe - a perfect foil to the rich lamb.
Cook’s tip: If you prefer lamb leg to shoulder then these cooking times will work just as well for a 2.25kg bone-in leg – although I urge you to try the shoulder first as I think it’s far superior!
Typical Nutrient Values per 440g Serving
Calories 516Kcal (26%)
Sugars 6.2g (7%)
Fat 31.9g (46%)
Saturates 13.6g (68%)
Salt 01.06g (18%)
(%) = of an adult’s guideline daily amount
COMMENTS
Patricia Ingram
30:07:2011 at 3.51pmcan’t wait to try your wonderfull looking new recipes they look very appetising, we enjoyed super slow lamb kleftico,we had family visiting so it was great to try it out on them,we all enjoyed our meal enormously ,
steve
01:08:2011 at 1.21pmshould it read garlic clove not bulb?
Geoff Mansfield
02:08:2011 at 9.16amWhy 220degC in step 1) of Kleftico when nothing goes into the oven until step 2); which is at 170degC?
jennysmith
02:08:2011 at 12.26pmlamb kleftico magic memories . am going to try your recipe . thank you
Lel
03:08:2011 at 9.13amx
Bryan
06:08:2011 at 7.52amI cook a joint of lamb thus:-
Anoint with your chosen herbs and Bertolli.
Place in a roaster on the rack and roast 15min @ 250 C to brown.
Remove from oven and pour in water so that it is just below the rack and put the lid on.
Return roaster to the oven and reduce the temperature to 50 C, yes 50 C. usually the actual temp. is about 65 C measured with an oven thermometer (essential kit).
Leave for at least 12 hours and test – should fall off the bone. 18 to 24 hours would be better still,
Of course any vegetables must be cooked apart, but a salad would do well.
Enjoy
Bryan
Patrick Stuart
06:08:2011 at 12.17pmPlease check the printability of the recipes for kleftico and lemon drizzle cake. A print review showed only page 2 available, pages 1 & 3 were blank
Johnny
09:08:2011 at 10.45amI thought your recipe for kleftico sounded good and the description easy to follow.
At a dinner party for friends it went down absolutely fabulously and I’ve come back to your site looking for any other gems you have.
Best,
Johnny x
admin
10:08:2011 at 1.10pmHi Partick,
Thanks for letting us know about the printing issues on the recipes we will look into the issues immediately.
Many thanks
The Bertolli Team
John
13:08:2011 at 10.24pmCooked this for friends tonight, big success. Whole shoulder a bit pricy these days from our farm shop bur succulent and delicious
katie
18:08:2011 at 2.20pmHi John I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the lamb! I know what you mean about the cost of lamb – however if more of us keep buying from the whole carcass and especially the lesser-used fore quarter cuts (like shoulder, fore shanks and breast) then the price of lamb generally should come down a bit. the same goes for beef. Fingers crossed! Thanks for getting in touch. Katie
Katie
18:08:2011 at 2.23pmHi Johnny thank you so much for getting in touch – I am so pleased that the lamb went down well with all your friends, great news! There will be plenty more recipes coming soon including some yummy baking ideas from Italy and France, and tasty tapas from Spain. Thanks. Katie
admin
18:08:2011 at 2.24pmHi Patrick thank you for letting us know about this printing issue – we will look into this immediately.
Thanks
The Bertolli Team
Katie
18:08:2011 at 2.27pmHi Bryan thank you so much for sharing your wonderful sounding lamb recipe – I’ve written a couple of slow cooking books and one of my favourite recipes is for 24 hour Persian lamb so I, like you, am a big advocate for super-slow cooked lamb! So tasty and so easy.
Thanks for getting in touch.
Katie
Katie
18:08:2011 at 2.44pmHi Jenny – thanks for getting in touch. It’s the smell of kleftico that takes me wafting dreamily back to Greece!! Enjoy the lamb and please let us know how it goes.
Thanks
Katie
Katie
18:08:2011 at 2.46pmHi Geoff
Thanks for getting in touch.
You need to get the oven really good and hot before the lamb goes in – this ensures that the meat picks up some nice colour as soon as it enters the oven. Then reducing the temperature ensures that the meat is cooked succulently and stays wonderfully juicy. If you don’t do this then the meat will look pale and insipid.
Hope that helps – let us know how you get on!
Katie
Katie
18:08:2011 at 2.49pmHi Steve
Thanks for getting in touch.
Garlic BULB is correct! You cut the whole thing in half and as it cooks slowly it becomes caramelised, soft and really yummy!
Go on give it a go!
Katie
Katie
18:08:2011 at 2.51pmHi Patricia
Thank you for getting in touch – I’m so pleased you enjoyed the lamb!
There are lots more tasty recipes to come so do come back and visit us again soon and let us know which one’s you have tried.
Thanks
Katie
John Collard
31:10:2011 at 4.57pmFresh Oregano would be far superior to the dried stuff.
If you want to taste the authentic recipe in the UK, visit the superb Talland Bay Hotel near Looe and try to persuade Mike to cook it. I’ve tried it on many Greek islands, and in many restaurants in the UK, but the evrsion done by Mike has always put everybody else’s to shame.
Katie
02:11:2011 at 11.03amA top tip John – thank you!
jayprime
17:12:2011 at 10.23pmPlease tell Katie that Kleftiko is even better when prepared using leg of Lamb. It is then absolutely wonderful!!
Not a bit of the leg of an old lamb (or Sheep) but truly the entire leg of a Lamb!!
Also, a Lamb would be easier for a Rustler to conceal whilst making his getaway!
Katie
20:12:2011 at 4.08pmA great tip – thanks Jay!
I guess in the old days the whole animal would get cooked all at once! Fantastic.
Thanks
Katie