GREEK LAMB STEW
By Simbooker on the 20th June 2015
Files & Tags: recipes, index, goat & lamb, tomatoes, soups and stews, chili pepper
Greek-Turk food is one of my favourites. I say Greek-Turk because Greek and Turkish food is very much the same thing. There are differences of course. While Greek cuisine features beef, pork, chicken, lamb and goat. Turkish cuisine is very much limited to lamb/goat, and chicken.
Files & Tags: recipes, index, goat & lamb, tomatoes, soups and stews, chili pepper
Greek-Turk food is one of my favourites. I say Greek-Turk because Greek and Turkish food is very much the same thing. There are differences of course. While Greek cuisine features beef, pork, chicken, lamb and goat. Turkish cuisine is very much limited to lamb/goat, and chicken.
One of the main things that Greek and Turkish food have in common, is a great love and appreciation for lamb. Lamb is fast becoming a favourite of mine, along with duck and goat. I have eaten lamb in many forms this year and I love it in many different ways. Between the Greeks and the Turks there are Kebabs, Souvla, Souvlaki, Gyros-which often features beef or pork, but are often made with lamb also.
I also love lamb as a roast, and in curries and stews. Throughout Greece and its many smaller Islands, lamb stews are made in a variety of ways by the home cook. I got the inspiration for this dish from the Island of Crete.
A stew like this is ideal to serve with bread and orzo pasta. It was utterly delicious, easy to make, and totally satisfying. You can use any parts of the lamb that you like. In Greece it will nearly always be served with a salad too. Greeks love their salads, as much as their meat.
For a stew like this I feel it's important to buy lamb on the bone for flavour. I bought a pack of lamb leg steaks and some lamb cutlets. I suppose it's also an idea to mix lamb meat on the bone, with boneless cuts of lamb. But I think the bone is essential in this recipe.
Let me just say, like with many dishes, there isn't necessarily a set recipe for this. It's very much ingredients to your taste, and to your liking. There are essential ingredients such as oregano, tomato paste/puree, onions etc, but the quantities used should be to your own taste. I don't think that most Greek mamas, or grand-mamas use a set recipe. This is just mine.
CRETAN LAMB STEW RECIPE