Traditional Greek cooking is a solid peasant cuisine, born on a fertile land rich in various seasonal products. Spicy herbs, spices, olive oil were always with the Greeks "at hand." The most popular meats are lamb, goat meat and beef. The secret of great Greek dishes is a combination of fresh, simple ingredients and the culinary talent of this generous, hospitable people.
Pick your recipe
You will need
-
- Lamb roast (Arnaki kleftiko):
- lamb leg weighing 1.5 kg;
- 10-12 cloves of garlic;
- 200 g sheep’s cheese (kefalotiri
- pecorino)
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil;
- rosemary;
- 1.5 kg of medium friable potato;
- 3 medium carrots;
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 4-5 sheets of parchment paper.
- Braised Beef (Juvents):
- 2 kg of beef or lamb;
- 1/2 cup olive oil;
- 1 large onion;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 1 large stalk of leek;
- 1 large carrot;
- 1/2 cup dry white wine;
- 3-4 peas of allspice;
- 300 g of tomatoes;
- 1 teaspoon of sugar;
- 0.5 kg of orzo paste;
- kefalotiri or pecorino cheese;
- salt
- pepper.
Instruction manual
1
Lamb roast (Arnaki kleftiko)
Kleftiko - in translation from Greek "stolen meat". The legend of the appearance of this dish says that the bandits who stole cattle could not stay in one place for cooking for a long time, so they dug deep holes, laid coals in them and placed pieces of meat on them. The makeshift roasting pan was covered with leaves, and lamb or goat was slowly baked for 12-24 hours. Then the thieves came to the hidden dish and made a feast. The modern recipe is an adaptation of the old one, conveying the “same taste” as much as possible.
2
Rub the meat with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, rosemary leaves and pepper. Peel the garlic and cut each clove in half. Dice the cheese. Traditionally, the Greeks use kefalotyri (kefalotyri) - a ripe hard sheep’s cheese. Kefalotiri is a regional product, an adequate substitute for it can serve as the more common Italian pecorino cheese, although it is prepared using a slightly different technology, but also based on sheep’s milk. With a sharp knife, pierce the leg of lamb over the entire surface and insert the garlic cloves and slices of cheese into the holes.
3
Wash the potatoes, peel and cut in half or quarters. Peel and chop the carrots. Preheat the oven to 250 ° C. Place vegetables and meat on sheets of parchment. Wrap with paper so that a baking bag is formed. Take a deep roasting pan, fill 1/3 with water, put the prepared mutton in it, put in the oven. Bake for about 2-2.5 hours. Kleftiko is served with fresh salad and young wine.
4
Braised Beef (Juventsi)
Juventsi is another popular Greek dish. It uses not only the cheese and olive oil, beloved by the Greeks, but also tomatoes popular in Greek cuisine, as well as small pasta - krisaraki or manestra. In this recipe, they are replaced with orzo paste, which is almost similar in composition and method of preparation, but more affordable.
5
Cut the meat (it is better to take a shoulder or arable land) into large cubes. In a heavy pan with a thick bottom, suitable for baking products in the oven, heat ¼ cup olive oil. Slices of meat lightly salt, pepper and fry in oil over medium heat until brown. It takes 7 to 10 minutes.
6
While the meat is being fried, cut the onions into cubes, peel the garlic, rinse the carrots and leeks. Cut leek in half, and carrots into three parts. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on the dish. Add the remaining olive oil. Fry the onions until translucent, it takes about 5 minutes. Add garlic and fry for about a minute. Put the leek, carrots, pour the wine. Dice tomatoes and add to vegetables along with allspice and sugar. Pour in a liter of water. Wait for the sauce to boil and reduce the heat to small. Stew for 5-10 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, cover and cook over medium heat for one hour.
7
Heat the oven to 350 degrees C. In a saucepan with meat, add dry orzo paste and 1/2 cup of water, season with salt and pepper. Cover and place in the oven. Bake from 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring occasionally. Remove the dish from the oven, remove allspice and sprinkle with grated cheese on top. Cover and let the dish "rest" for 15-20 minutes before serving.
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