Lamb giouvetsi
It’s day 4 of the 12 days of Greekmas and today I’m bringing you the only Giouvetsi recipe you’ll ever need. We’re talking tender, fall-apart lamb cooked low and slow in a rich tomato braise, finished with baked orzo that turns soft, silky, and unbelievably comforting.
The secret to getting that melt-in-the-mouth texture? It starts with a good sear. Brown the lamb on all sides until it’s lightly golden — this is where the flavour begins. I always recommend bone-in lamb shoulder for maximum richness.
Ingredients
1.2-1.5kg bone in lamb shoulder
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, grated or crushed
30g tomato puree
500ml passata
200ml red wine
1 stick of cinnamon or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
2 chicken cubes dissolved in 1.3 litres hot water
500g orzo
Serve with grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan
3 and a half hours to prepare | Serves 5-6
Method
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius fan. Generously season the lamb with salt and ground black pepper on both sides.
In a large saucepan, heat up the oil on a medium high heat. After a minute, carefully place the lamb shoulder and sear it on all sides until lightly golden brown. This process should take about 10 minutes. Remove the lamb and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes until they soften. Then add the puree and grated garlic and cook for about a minute until they become fragrant.
Add the passata, red wine, bay leaves and cinnamon, as well as 400ml of the stock water. Reduce the temperature to low heat and cook until it becomes to simmer.
Once simmered, place the lamb in a large baking dish, and carefully pour the braise over it. Cover with foil and bake for 2 and a half hours, taking it over halfway through.
At this point, the lamb should be tender enough to poke but still in-tact. Remove from the pan, and stir through the orzo and the rest of the stock. Nestle the lamb on top of the orzo; I recommend cutting into small chunks and covering in the braise. Then place the dish back in the oven, uncovered this time, to cook for another half an hour. The lamb will have cooked for 3 hours and should be tender and the orzo silky and soft.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm with either a grating of Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese.
Watch how to make it
