Kleftiko - Greek Slow Cooked Lamb Kleftiko by Theo Michaels | Lamb Kleftiko

Kleftiko - Greek slow cooked Lamb Shoulder - Greek Recipe - how to make the best (kleftiko / kleftico) lamb recipe ever!

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Nothing will send your tastebuds to a Greek Cypriot taverna quite like Kleftiko. A slow cooked lamb recipe that remains totally succulent and literally falls off the bone (you can cut it with a spoon, seriously, you can) and it's almost impossible to get wrong!Kleftiko roughly translates to Stolen Meat; legend has it that the outlaws or bandits in Cyprus would steal a goat and take it up to the Troodos Mountains where their hideaway was to cook. To avoid being caught they would dig a large pit and make a fire during the day when the flames wouldn't be seen, eventually the fire would burn out leaving just the glowing embers. The beast would be placed on top of the ashes and covered until the next day, by which time they would unearth their feast and tuck in! Nowadays this is a meal in a bowl; usually cooked with potatos to soak up the juices (I prefer to cook mine separately but if you can't be bothered -- just follow my recipe below and throw some spuds in before you wrap up the lamb!)

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My first experience of Kleftiko was in the Troodos mountains, but minus the bandits. Sitting on long communual tables with a steaming foil wrap being delivered to you in a bowl it's genius is in its simplicity.

Ingredients:

1 shoulder of lamb (some people use leg -- but it just doesn't come out as succulent)

2 large ripe tomatos cut into thick slices

1 onion sliced

3 bay leaves

5 cloves of garlic cracked open

6 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Few heavy glugs of extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon

Tablespoon of dried oregano (preferably Greek of course!)

Few pinches of sea salt

Teaspoon of smoked paprika (OK, not a traditional ingredient but I think it adds a little smokiness that is missed by cooking it in the oven)

Method:

First; season your meat all over.

Then lay out a large piece of foil; and prepare the base to sit the meat on.

Drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle half the sliced onion, a bay leaf, some rosemary, some of the oregano, some of the tomato slices and a couple of slices of lemon and half the garlic. Season well and place the meat on top.

Drizzle olive oil over the top of the meat and place the rest of the ingredients all over the top. Squeeze lemon juice all over the meat before slicing the rest into thick chunks and layering on top. Season well and sprinkle the smoked paprika over the meat.

Point to remember -- cut the tomatos quite thick and use the majority on top of the meat; they will almost turn into sundried tomatoes; very concentrated and rich... lovely!

Wrap in foil several times to ensure it is sealed.

Pop on a rack on a roasting tray, stick a pint of water (or two) in the bottom and pop into the oven at 170 degrees for about 5 hours for a whole shoulder (about 4 hours for only half a shoulder) -- if in doubt -- leave it in longer rather than less.

Once the 5 hours is up; remove the meat from the oven, turn the oven up to 200 degrees and let the wrapped meat sit for 20 minutes. Then cut the foil wrap open at the top, peel away as much as possible and pour the juices into a saucepan to make some gravy.

The oven should be to temperature by now (200 degrees), so return the unwrapped meat to the oven for another 10-15 minutes (check it after 10 minutes -- you want the meat to start to crisp but not burn).

Remove the meat and pop it on a serving dish and stick it in the middle of a table for people to help themselves -- this is all about sharing the pleasure.

Goes well with some Tzatziki, rosemary roasted new potatoes and a rowdy bunch of friends or family to share it with -- this is a feast for noisy companions not boring fine dining!