Perfect for a sunday afternoon...
Discussion
So, I have been making this for a few years, in many variations, this is the latest one. This is a take on the original 'Kleftiko' of greek origin, where the peasants used to cook the their stolen lamb in ground ovens to avoid being caught.
What you'll need:
One whole shoulder of lamb - bone in!
A choice of citrus fruit, or a mixture lemons, limes, oranges
2 bulbs of garlic
lots of rosemary/thyme & mint
Sea salt flakes
Olive oil
2 glasses of red wine
Take your shoulder of lamb, and stab it repeatedly, lots and lot, especially near the bone!
insert rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves into the holes you have created
Now lay out some extra wide tin foil (or join two pieces together ofc) and lay a layer of citrus fruits/garlic/herbs down, place lamb ontop
Now, again smother the lamb in seasoning, more herbs, more citrus and olive oil
Okay, now, you need to wrap the lamb in such a fashion that you trap some air inside the foil, and are able to stand it on one end, with the other end of the parcel open, much like an envelope or bag, now pour in one glass of the wine, and throw any left over herbs/garlic/fruit. Close up the parcel and give it a few more layers of tin foil.
Place in a dish, and pop in the fridge for as long as possible, normally I go for 24 hrs, but you can do 12/24/48 whatever.
Then when you're ready to have it for dinner, pop in the oven at around 130c in the morning, try and turn the parcel a few times throughout the cooking process, cook for 10hrs ideally, it can be left over night at a slightly lower temperature.
Take out of the oven and rest in the foil for 1hr before serving
I normally serve with roasted veggies, or Mediterranean roast veggies + some greens. The vine roasted tomatoes are particularly tasty accompaniment.
Oh, and for the ones that pay attention to detail, that 2nd glass of wine is for you to drink whilst preparing
Feedback is welcome, and if you make it, share it...
What you'll need:
One whole shoulder of lamb - bone in!
A choice of citrus fruit, or a mixture lemons, limes, oranges
2 bulbs of garlic
lots of rosemary/thyme & mint
Sea salt flakes
Olive oil
2 glasses of red wine
Take your shoulder of lamb, and stab it repeatedly, lots and lot, especially near the bone!
insert rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves into the holes you have created
Now lay out some extra wide tin foil (or join two pieces together ofc) and lay a layer of citrus fruits/garlic/herbs down, place lamb ontop
Now, again smother the lamb in seasoning, more herbs, more citrus and olive oil
Okay, now, you need to wrap the lamb in such a fashion that you trap some air inside the foil, and are able to stand it on one end, with the other end of the parcel open, much like an envelope or bag, now pour in one glass of the wine, and throw any left over herbs/garlic/fruit. Close up the parcel and give it a few more layers of tin foil.
Place in a dish, and pop in the fridge for as long as possible, normally I go for 24 hrs, but you can do 12/24/48 whatever.
Then when you're ready to have it for dinner, pop in the oven at around 130c in the morning, try and turn the parcel a few times throughout the cooking process, cook for 10hrs ideally, it can be left over night at a slightly lower temperature.
Take out of the oven and rest in the foil for 1hr before serving
I normally serve with roasted veggies, or Mediterranean roast veggies + some greens. The vine roasted tomatoes are particularly tasty accompaniment.
Oh, and for the ones that pay attention to detail, that 2nd glass of wine is for you to drink whilst preparing
Feedback is welcome, and if you make it, share it...
Pixel-Snapper said:
Slightly saddened that there's no picture of you digging a hole in the garden.
all seriously though a bet that tastes bang on.
Thanks all seriously though a bet that tastes bang on.
On another note, I will be making this on a ground oven at some point, where it will take approx 24hrs to cook, even slower, even lower heat...
Melman Giraffe said:
I love Kleftiko and reminds me of trips to Greece where you see the Kleftiko ovens on the side of the road. Yummy
It has been told to me, from Greeks they use mutton instead of lamb, which is much fattier and this helps make it much sweeter, and more succulent. I'll try it with mutton too soon...Dr G said:
I've got half a leg in the freezer and friends round for dinner next Sunday.
Seriously tempted to give this a go. Do you serve yours shredded/sliced/...?
With leg, just don't roast for so long, as it has less fat then shoulder, but it will be equally as nice.Seriously tempted to give this a go. Do you serve yours shredded/sliced/...?
And you just pull it apart with forks/tongs, no knife needed
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