Chef: Aristotelis Megoulas
Prep: 30’
Cooking: 4 hours
Ingredients (serves 6)
• 2 kg lamb (leg and shoulder), bone-in, cut into portion pieces
• 1 lamb pluck , 700-800 g
• 6 medium onions, finely diced
• Cloves from 1 head of garlic, peeled and left whole
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 allspice berries, lightly crushed
• 10 peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, well crushed
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• Leaves from 1 sprig fresh mint
• Leaves from 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 400 ml dry Mavrodafni wine
• 80 ml olive oil, plus a little extra for serving
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to the broil setting and line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, separate the parts of the pluck (liver, sweetbreads, heart, etc.). Make a few small incisions in the lamb and the offal pieces, and insert the garlic cloves into them. Sprinkle with half of the paprika mixture, season with salt and pepper, toss well, and arrange everything in the pan. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned, turning once so they color evenly.
In a very wide pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions along with the remaining paprika, salt and pepper, and saute for about 10 minutes, until caramelized.
Remove the meat from the oven and arrange in the pot with the onions. Add the bay leaves, allspice, peppercorns, cinnamon, fennel seeds and cloves, and increase the heat.
Pour in half of the wine and let it cook down for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining wine and cook for another 7-8 minutes, or until reduced to about one-third. Add just enough water to cover the meat, cover the pot with a lid, and lower the heat. Let it simmer gently, stirring regularly and adding a bit of water as needed, for 2.5-3 hours, or until the meat is nearly falling apart at the touch of a fork. Remove the lid, add the fresh herbs, and increase the heat. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
Remove from the heat, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. Drizzle with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and serve – it is usually accompanied by pasta.
This story first appeared in Kathimerini’s food supplement, Gastronomos.