‘They looked down on a roasted lamb, its skin glistening bronze, flesh falling from its bones… and though only the charred, twiggy remains of mountain oregano and thyme poked through the haphazard string stitching of the belly cavity, a fragrant steam affirmed that all the herbs’ sweet essences had melded with the meat.’
(From The Feast of Artemis)
Literally stolen or bandits’ lamb, kleftiko originated with sheep-rustlers in the mountains of Greece. They would dig a fire-pit to bake a stolen lamb whole, sealing the makeshift oven with earth as the carcase cooked to prevent smoke – and the delicious smell of the roasting meat – giving away their hiding-place.
Interestingly, it is very like the roasting lamb cooked over fire-pits in the high hills of Croatia in Rick Stein’s wonderful cooking/travel series, From Venice to Istanbul.
Happily you can enjoy the same melting, flavoursome lamb without heading for the hills with a shovel or running any risk of arrest. The key to great kleftiko is to let it take its own sweet time – it’s slow food for a feast with family or friends – and the best part is, once it’s assembled, it will pretty well look after itself.
Recipe for Kleftiko
Ingredients
A large joint of lamb, leg or shoulder, approx 2kg
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
Juice of a lemon
1 tbsp dried or fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary or a mix)
3 tbsp good olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Parchment paper and string
Directions
- First make your marinade by combining the olive oil, garlic, a good teaspoon of sea-salt, pepper, lemon juice and herbs. Put the lamb in a baking dish and pour the marinade over, using your hands to work it into the meat. Cover and chill for at least two hours or overnight.
- Pre-heat your oven to 150C.
- Lay four long pieces of baking parchment across a roasting tin, one each side to side and front to back, two across the diagonals. Slice the onion thickly and spread it over the base of the parchment-lined tin. Place the lamb on top of the onions and pour the marinade over with an extra sprinkling of salt.
- Gather up the baking parchment to enclose the lamb in a parcel and tie it up tightly with the string.
- Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 3 hours.
- Remove the lam b from the oven and turn up the temperature to 220c. Open up the parchment parcel, fold down the paper or cut it away and return the lamb to the hot oven until golden brown.
- Allow the lamb to rest for at least twenty minutes, then serve with accompaniments of your choice – try roast potatoes, Greek salad, tzatziki and fresh bread.
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