So Many Dishes

The last time that we were at Whole Foods for fish, we spotted cubed lamb at the butcher counter. We bought a pound and figured we’d do something with it for Easter dinner. We started going through cookbooks when we got home, and decided on a Spanish lamb and bell pepper stew.

Last week, though, we happened upon an episode of My Greek Table with Diane Kochilas on the Create channel. In the show, she cooked a lamb stew with figs called kapama. It looked delicious, and Ken asked me, “are we locked in for Easter? Could we change the menu?” Of course! So I went looking for the kapama recipe, and came across Diane Kochilas’ website. A pop-up ad offered a free e-cookbook in exchange for signing up for her newsletter. Do I look like someone who’s going to pass on free recipes? Of course not! The cookbook included a recipe for Youvetsi, lamb with orzo in a tomato sauce. I knew as soon as I read the recipe that I had found the perfect Easter dinner.

The Greeks really know how to cook lamb perfectly. I marinated the cubes, which I suspect were from a leg, in a red wine-olive oil-garlic-herb mixture. The directions said to marinate for up to four hours. I didn’t get started until after we got home from church, so the meat was only in the marinade for a little over an hour, but the flavors definitely penetrated the meat. Plus, it was falling apart tender. The sauce also had plenty of wine and herbs, as well as tomatoes and onion. The orzo cooks in the sauce for the last 30 minutes, so everything is infused with the wonderful flavor. I think I spent as much time in the kitchen lifting the pot lid and sniffing the aroma as I did putting the dish together.

I ended up changing proportions, because I only had one pound of lamb, rather than the two pounds called for. Normally, I’d just halve the meat and make a full batch of sauce. But since the orzo cooks in the sauce and I wanted to cut that amount back too, I made some adjustments. I ended up reducing the amount of wine, olive oil, and chicken stock. I was so pleased with the results, I’m including the recipe with my changes. Since I halved the meat but used two-thirds of the orzo called for, there’s less meat to pasta than the original. Ken says that’s probably more like what we’d find in Greece, anyway.

Greek Lamb with Orzo “Youvetsi”

• 6 garlic cloves, divided
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
• 11/4 cups dry red wine, divided
• 1 pound boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cups canned chopped tomatoes, drained (2 15- ounce cans)
• 1 strip orange zest
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 allspice berries
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo
• Grated Parmesan, kefalotyri, or myzithra cheese to taste, for topping

Finely chop 3 cloves of and, in a large bowl, combine them with the chopped leaves from 3 sprigs of rosemary, 1 tablespoon oregano, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/2 cup red wine. Marinate lamb in this mixture, covered and refrigerated, for at least one hour or up to 4.

Remove the lamb from the marinade. Pat the pieces dry. Reserve the liquid.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and saute the lamb pieces until browned on all sides. Push the lamb to the side and add the onion and remaining three cloves of garlic to the pot and cook, stirring with the meat, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium. Pour in tomatoes, remaining marinade, and 3/4 cup of red wine. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and add the orange zest, remaining rosemary (whole sprigs), 2 teaspoons of oregano, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper (I used very little salt—maybe 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Cover and cook over low heat for about 2 hours, or until lamb is very tender.

Add the chicken broth to the pot, raise the heat, and bring to a simmer. Add the orzo. Bring back to a simmer, reduce heat, and continue simmering, uncovered, until the orzo is very tender and has absorbed all the liquid in the pot. Stir occasionally. The stew should be juicy but not soupy. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. When done, remove from heat, cover pot, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with cheese. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

I made a simple Greek salad on the side, which was a perfect accompaniment. It was a great holiday dinner, with a special dessert, but that desserves its own post 😋

Happy eating!