Lamb Kleftiko

Lamb Kleftiko is a joyous dish, it takes just a little effort to make something truly spectacular and utterly delicious; you just have to be prepared to have the oven on all day. 

The marinade that is rubbed into the meat, helps to give a beautiful flavour, and cooking low and slow in the oven, means the meat will literally fall or pull apart at the slightest touch of a fork.

I make the lamb on a bed of potatoes and tomatoes with a few other seasonings, and then served with a Greek Salad and some Tzatziki.

I've used the cheaper cut of half a shoulder of lamb here, but many recipes call for the more expensive leg; which would be great if you are feeding a bigger crowd.

The below serves 4-5

Lamb Kleftiko

Here's how:

1/2 shoulder of lamb

For the meat rub/marinade:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp capers
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 lemon

The vegetable base:

• 6 potatoes
• 4 tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Kalamata or other black olives
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• 1 large red onion
• Handful bay leafs
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 1 glass white wine
• 1 glass water

You will also need:

• Grease proof/baking paper or tin foil
• Large roasting tin or casserole dish
• 1/2 glass water
• Small corner of feta cheese (optional)

Firstly make the meat rub by either placing all of the ingredients into a Nutribullet or blender, or simply pulsing with a pestle and mortar. You should get a dark brown paste.

Take the lamb shoulder and rub it all over with the paste using either your hands or the back of a spoon. Make sure every piece of lamb has a flavourful coating and leave to stand for an hour. 

At this point you can pre-heat the oven to a low 160 degrees.

Now get a large roasting tin or dish, and firstly cover with lots of excess with a sheet of grease proof paper or tin foil length-ways. Now do the same width-ways so you have one piece over another; so once everything is in the dish, you can cover it up well and loosely.

In the meantime you can prepare the vegetables. Firstly peel the potatoes and cut into large wedges; if you cut them too small, they may turn to mush in the long cooking process. Scatter them all over in the roasting tin.

For the red onion, peel it and cut into wedges and scatter about. For the garlic you can either peel or leave in the skins and scatter all over. Throw in the olives (as I have two small girls, I tend to remove the stones first and throw them in). Now cut the lemon into quarters and add to the dish. Season at this point with salt and pepper.

The vegetable base for the Kleftiko

Now you can place the lamb shoulder on top of the vegetables. At this point pour over the dish a full glass of white wine (any open bottle will do it) and then re-fill with water from the tap and pour over this too. 

Lamb Kleftiko before it is wrapped and popped into the oven

Now is the wrapping process; you want it sealed up, but not too tightly. Grease proof paper lends itself really well to this. I've tried to show pictures of how I do this; you can also use kitchen string, but I find you can fold and scrunch it easy enough. So firstly take the length ways piece of paper, fold each end over towards each other, and then take the corners and kind of knot or scrunch around each other so the dish is loosely covered. 

How to wrap the first layer of paper around the Kleftiko

The second bit is easier, you just fold over and then to seal, I pour over about half a glass more water, which stops the liquid inside escaping and helps to keep the lamb moist and tender.

Fully wrapped Kleftiko with a little water over to keep it sealed

Now place into the oven and cook for a minimum of 5 hours; but for perfect, pull-apart at the touch lamb, cook for 7 hours. Remove from the oven, and serve at the table with your choice of accompaniments and unwrap at the table for the big reveal. As an optional extra, you could crumble over a little feta cheese before serving for one final Greek flourish. Enjoy!

Lamb Kleftiko

If you love Greek dishes like us, you may enjoy some of the below recipes:

Moussaka
Chicken Souvlaki
Prawn Saganaki
Pastitsio - The Greek Lasagna
Briam
Gemistes - Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
Feta and Spinach Open Tart
Greek Chicken Traybake
Beef Stamna 
Spanakopita - Greek Cheese and Spinach Pie
Soutzoukakia - Greek Meatball Bake
Greek Chicken One Pot

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Ever since I was a child, I've disliked the flavour of lamb and whilst I have continued to try it as an adult, I just can't get on board with it. 

On the flip-side, my other half Glen, and our daughters Bridget and Beatrice adore it and miss out on me cooking it very often so if I'm heading out for an evening without them, I do try to prepare a lamb dinner for them. 

Some of the meals I do for them include tagines, stews, curries, hotpot and casseroles and they love a shepherd's pie too. 

This dish was absolutely thrown together in a mad dash whilst also getting ready for an evening at the theatre, and my lot absolutely devoured and asked when I would be making it again and while it is incredibly simple and quick to pop together, I thought it would be worth sharing for any other parents that always look for easy mid-week dinners for all the family.

I make no apology for the fact that I used a jar of Dolmio Creamy Lasagne White Sauce here, I do often make a bechemel sauce, but I always keep a jar of that in the stock cupboard, it tastes good and sometimes a shortcut is needed. Incidentally the Marks & Spencer Bechemel is good too.

The below serves four people.

Here's how:

• 300g lamb mince
• 4 King Edward potatoes (other potatoes will do just fine)
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 3 tbsp frozen peas
• 1 jar of Dolmio White Lasagne Sauce
• 1 tbsp grated Grana Padana or other hard cheese
• 1 Oxo cube
• 1 Knorr Lamb Stock Pot
• 1 tbsp red wine
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• Fresh nutmeg

Firstly peel the potatoes and cut into slices, about 1/2 cm thick. Wash them well and then place in a saucepan, pour over water just boiled from the kettle to cover them, add a pinch of salt and cook on a medium heat for five minutes. Drain and set aside.

Turn the oven on now to 180-200 degrees to pre-heat and prepare the filling.

Firstly dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to a large frying pan with a drizzle of oil to saute. Once soft, add the lamb mince, and use a spatula to gently break down the mince in the pan so it doesn't all clump together. Season now with salt and pepper and once the mince has begun to brown, add the cinnamon too.

In the meantime, peel and dice the carrot and finely slice the celery and add to the mince once it is browned. 

Now crumble over the Oxo cube and add the rosemary and frozen peas and stir well. Make up the Lamb Stock Pot - about 150-200ml and pour over with the dash of red wine and allow to cook down for twenty minutes until the gravy has thickened a little. 

Once you're happy with the consistency of the lamb, pour or ladle it into an oven-proof dish and cover the bottom. 

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Now layer the potatoes across the top, to make the potato topping, and then pour over the lasagne sauce to completely cover. 

For a final flourish of flavour scatter over the grated Grana Padana and finely grate over some fresh nutmeg before placing into the over for 30 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted and the top has some lovely golden brown patches. 

Simple Lamb Potato-Topped-Pie

Enjoy!

Here are a few other pie recipes that I've shared on here and which are great autumnal and winter warmers for all of the family:

Chicken and Mushroom Potato Pie
Mediterranean Makeover Cottage Pie
Squash and Goat's Cheese Pie
Chicken & Mushroom Pot Pie
Beef & Lentil Filo Pie
Steak & Ale Pot Pie
Steak & Lentil Cottage Pie

Baby Bites: Carrot and Lamb Meatballs with Tomato Dipping Sauce

This makes for a wonderful finger food for little ones, and you can experiment with herbs and spices and different mince to make all sorts of variations too but this one is a classic take and lamb makes for great meatballs as it has a good fat level so they remain nice and juicy.

This recipe makes enough for 16 small balls, which is plenty for four to five portions. I freeze them raw in a sealed bag, and then pop out to defrost on the morning I need them and cook fresh each time.

The tomato sauce is a basic one and makes enough for 6-8 portions which can also be used with other foods too such a chicken or fish goujons or even as a pasta sauce. This again freezes well in sealable pots or bags. 

For the meatballs:
250g lean lamb mince
2 carrots
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper

For the sauce:
2 leeks
1 tin of tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp olive oil

Firstly combine the lamb mince with the pepper, oregano and paprika in a large mixing bowl.

Peel the carrots and coarsely grate them straight into the mince. Use your hands to thoroughly mix together and then slowly form the balls.

Place any you are freezing into sealable bags and pop straight into the freezer.

Leave the ones you are cooking to one side for the minute.

To make the sauce firstly chop the leeks and saute in the olive oil to soften.

Add the tomatoes, the balsamic vinegar, sugar and paprika and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and using a wooden spoon to break down the tomatoes a bit.

While the sauce is cooking away, place a sheet of tin foil on the grill and pop the meatballs on top. Then turn on the grill to a medium heat and cook until the meatballs are browned all over - this should take about 5-8 minutes.

Once the meatballs are cooked through, remove from the grill and place on a plate with a couple of sheets of kitchen towel and roll around - this is to absorb any excess oil or fat.

Allow the meatballs to cool a little and in the meantime, pour the tomato sauce into a blender and blitz to a smooth consistency.

Dish up and serve to little one once the sauce has cooled enough for him or her to handle.

Be warned, these meatballs are moreish so make extra as the parent feeding them may get tempted too!

Sheesh, Chigwell

Sheesh is a family run restaurant that sits in the rather splendid building that was once home to Ye Olde King’s Head pub in the centre of Chigwell, Essex. I’ve visited several times and have never had a bad meal here, and what’s more, the atmosphere is always electric - filled with a buzz that is hard to achieve in local restaurants outside of the centre of London.

Primarily, a Turkish theme runs throughout the menu, with some other Mediterranean influences - this is basically a ‘posh kebab house’ as my Dad would call it with a few bells and whistles. As I’ve said, the location and venue is in itself fantastic - as well as a vast dining area, there is also an outside terrace that is heaving in the sunshine and the bar upstairs is lively and they have regular performers on to keep the crowds in after their meals too.

I visited Sheesh a few weeks back on a Friday night with three of my girlfriends, Steph, Jade and Jemma for a meal followed by drinks and dancing in the bar.

We started with some appetisers to share – firstly the ‘Karisik Meze’, a selection of homemade dips including taramasalata, hummous, tzatziki, a tomato and onion dip and two aubergine based dips, one smoky, garlicy baba ghanoush-style dip and one oily tomato based dip. All were great but particular mention must be made for the tarama and the aubergine/tomato dip – delicious.

Clearly the four of us wouldn’t be content with just dips being the greedy sorts we are. To complement our dips we also ordered some fried halloumi cheese, gorgeously salty with that almost crust of flavour on the outside and a nearly-gooey interior as well as a plate of ‘sigara boregi’. A plate full of filo pastry cylinders filled with cheese and spinach –calorific but exceptionally tasty. With a satisfying crunch as you bite in, but filled with the most moreish soft and tempting centre.

Jade and Jemma each chose a dish from the ‘specials’ menu, veering away from the traditional dishes. Jade opted for the ‘Kleftico’, different from the Greek version that I know, this was a lamb shank cooked slowly in a tomato and vegetable sauce with the potatoes cooked in the sauce. Not being a fan of lamb, this is something I wouldn’t normally try but the aroma of it was incredibly appetising and so I tried a small little mouthful and was pleasantly surprised. The meat was so tender from the long, slow cooking process and was filled with flavour. Jade certainly enjoyed.

Jemma chose the ‘Kremali Tavuk’, a special of chicken breast served in a creamy red and green pepper and mushroom sauce. The chicken was succulent and moist and the cream sauce was to die for – delicious with some of the pita dipped in. A portion of asparagus made up the rest of Jemma’s meal and it really is worthy of mention alone. It came drizzled in a garlic and herb butter that is simply to-die-for and is then scattered with sea salt which gives that added, flavourful crunch – sensational.

Steph and I both ordered from the huge charcoal grill situated at the end of the main section of the restaurant. We wasn’t sitting in that area on this particular evening, but if you are making an evening of it at Sheesh, try to request a table in this area as it is fabulous to watch the kitchen staff at work – but be warned if you are heading out elsewhere after your meal, you may find yourself coated in eau de kebab.

I chose the ‘Tavuk Sis’ or chicken shish kebab which was exceptional as always. The chicken was juicy and beautifully spiced with just a hint of chilli. Served with a colourful salad of sliced onion, carrots, red cabbage, green leaves and a chopped tomato and cucumber combo as well as a whole, raw chilli the kebab was sitting aboard a flat-bread. Several sauces come alongside anything cooked on the charcoal grill – all of varying heat - Steph and I were both keen on the extra hot which packed a serious punch. A great dish.

Steph embarked on a Woman vs Food mission and chose the ‘Karisek Grille’ – the mixed grill, a selection of all of the meats cooked over the grill. Now all four of us love our food, but we were impressed by Steph as she managed to eat all of the meat on the grill (with a little help from us having the odd nibble).

She had no complaints whatsoever and as well as the same flatbread and salad that came with mine, Steph’s meal consisted of the chicken shish that I had, lamb shish, a lamb chop, a marinated chicken wing, a lamb kofta, and a minced chicken meatball. All were pleasing, but Steph’s particular favourites were actually the chicken and lamb shish that Sheesh do so, so well.

We had an impressive three bottles of the Moko Black New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at the table too and after paying the bill, around £180 including service, we headed up to the bar to enjoy the live singer. A lovely soulful singer who belted out some absolute old school tunes, veering between Motown and modern songs, it wasn’t long before the combination of great atmosphere and a round of Aperol Spritz and Champagne cocktails had the four of us up dancing, and we were not alone.

Service was good throughout the evening and we really did have a fabulous time. My only slight gripe would be the fact you can only have the table for a certain amount of time, and when our two-hour slot was up the waiters were hovering around us quite blatantly, which as we were only heading upstairs was a tad irritating.

I would certainly recommend Sheesh for a good night out in Essex – great food, drinks and atmosphere are provided so the only thing you need is good company like I had on this particular evening.

Frith Street's Finest - Arbutus

Arbutus

Last Wednesday evening me and the boy were in Soho deciding where to grab some dinner when we stumbled across Arbutus. I'd been before but a good three years ago and as it was 730 and busy I doubted we'd get a table. I was right to doubt - however we were accommodated in the bar area on a high table for two.

Sitting right in the area that every diner had to walk through to get to their table meant I was able to enjoy my favourite sport - people watching. I marvelled immediately at the mixed bag that Arbutus attracts, there were the suited types, couples, groups of friends and real arty types - plenty to be nosy at. We were off to a good start.

I chose the squid and mackerel 'burger' with razor clams and sea purslane to start. The 'burger' was a small, moist and absolutely delicious patty full of wonderful sea flavours and very well seasoned. The razor clams were the first I've ever had and actually enjoyed - as well as the flavour they were devoid of that awful rubbery texture that I've come to expect. The plate was presented very prettily too which made it all the more appetizing.

The boy had the crispy pigs head with salad and again this was artfully presented and the flavours matched the presentation. The pork was chunky and had an exceptional, almost sweet flavour with some crispy, crunchy bits which were a delightful contrast. What was most surprising was how utterly gorgeous the salad was - sliver's of soft turnip and radish which I can only presume had been poached in something sweet, syruppy and lovely. Wonderfulness on a plate.

The boys' main was slow cooked lamb with cannelini beans, apricots and almonds. The lamb was apparently tasty and tender to the point of melting in the mouth (it certainly didn't last long). The accompaniments were good - however the boy decided this was a bit of a delicate plate for him and he said he'd have preferred something a bit heavier. This would be perfect for a smaller appetite though.

Mine was the opposite and the boy ended up finishing it anyway. I had the roast rabbit which was roasted with pancetta, artichokes and sweet, baby carrots in a the most delicious, garliccy juice - heaven. This came with a 'shoulder cottage pie' which was frankly the best comfort food - creamy mashed potato over tender shoulder of rabbit. A very satisfying, if filling dish.

Even though I was stuffed i couldn't resist ordering pudding. The dessert menu had me drooling, every single item on that menu sounded fabulous and it was eventually the waiter who twisted my arm, ever so easily into the cold chocolate fondant.

I've been lucky with desserts recently and it appears my luck continues - this was sensational. As well as looking fantastic the fondant itself had a richness of flavour but was as light as a feather. It came with crispy, caramelised chocolate wafers and a small helping of salted caramel ice cream, pure bliss. It was finished with a little shaving of pretty green pistachios. It really was a dessert to die for.

Throughout our meal the staff were incredibly attentive and friendly - the great thing which was so clearly obvious was that the staff here genuinely care about the food served. You can sense their pride and passion and it only adds to the overall dining experience.

The meal was around £75 without wine, but for this level of food I think it's reasonable - we didn't have a single complaint.

It's hard to believe Arbutus opened it's doors over five years ago as I seem to remember it and that would imply I'm getting on - however judging from our faultless meal and the swarms of mid-week diners rushing through the doors it's clear that Anthony Demetre and Will Smith continue to get it right. They really have managed to achieve that winning formula, what's more they have it down to a fine art - well-executed hearty classics, great service and a good balance between smart and casual dining. I certainly won't be leaving it another three years before I return.

http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/