About this Dish
Slow-cooked lamb — traditionally sealed in a parcel and cooked in a pit oven — until the meat falls completely from the bone. The name means stolen meat, referencing Greek resistance fighters who cooked sealed underground to hide the smoke. Now cooked in foil parcels in the oven, the result is extraordinarily tender.
IngredientsServes 4
🍖Lamb shoulder, 1.5kg bone-in, cut into large chunks
🧄Garlic, 6 cloves, halved lengthways
🍋Lemon, 2, juice and zest
🫒Olive oil, 4 tablespoons
🧅White onions, 2 large, thickly sliced
🍅Plum tomatoes, 4, roughly chopped
🧀Kefalotyri or halloumi cheese, 150g, cut into thick slabs
🌿Fresh oregano, 3 sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon dried
🫙Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
🧂Salt and black pepper, generous seasoning
Method
1
Using a small sharp knife, make deep slits all over the lamb pieces and push a halved garlic clove into each slit. Place the lamb in a large bowl with the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, dried oregano, cinnamon, salt, and plenty of black pepper. Toss everything together well and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge for best results.2
Preheat your oven to 160°C (fan 140°C / Gas Mark 3). Tear off two large sheets of heavy-duty foil, enough to wrap everything generously and form a sealed parcel — you want the steam to stay trapped inside throughout cooking.3
Lay one sheet of foil in a deep roasting tin, then scatter the sliced onions and chopped tomatoes over the base. Arrange the marinated lamb pieces on top, pour over all the remaining marinade juices, and tuck the fresh oregano sprigs around the meat.4
Lay the slabs of cheese over and around the lamb — this melts into the juices and adds a wonderful salty richness. Place the second sheet of foil on top and fold and crimp the edges of both sheets together tightly all the way around, creating a fully sealed parcel with no gaps.5
Slide the roasting tin into the oven and cook for 3.5 to 4 hours without opening the parcel. The sealed environment essentially steams and braises the lamb simultaneously, which is what makes the meat so extraordinarily tender.6
After 3.5 hours, carefully open the parcel — watch out for the hot steam — and check that the meat is falling away from the bone. If it needs more time, reseal and return for another 30 minutes. Once ready, open the foil fully and increase the oven to 200°C for 15 minutes to lightly colour the top.7
Rest the lamb for 10 minutes before serving straight from the parcel with warm crusty bread, roasted potatoes, and a simple green salad to soak up the incredible cooking juices.User Reviews
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