Matt Preston’s Greek lamb traybake

Name: Matt Preston's Greek lamb traybake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 190 min
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 20.00 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1kg boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed, cut into 5cm pieces; 2 onions, chopped; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 oregano sprigs, plus extra 1/2 cup chopped oregano leaves; 2 bay leaves; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 400g can chopped tomatoes; 280g orzo; 250g cherry tomatoes; 75g olive; Finely grated zest of 1/2 a lemon and juice of 2 lemons; 2 tsp caster sugar; 100g crumbled feta

6 ratings

20m

3h 10m

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by Matt Preston

delicious. senior editor

May 10, 2018

"Australia’s rugged bush and the hot hills of Greece are united in their love of lamb. In fact, the story behind that jumbuck in Waltzing Matilda and the creation of Greece’s kleftiko lamb are bizarrely similar – both are hymns to sheep-stealing. Perhaps here we’d call it ‘Klepto Lamb’. This dish is an homage to both traditions, but asks: ‘If we can have mint sauce with lamb, why can’t we use other herbs?" – Matt Preston

1 tbs Woolworths Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1kg boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed, cut into 5cm pieces
2 onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 oregano sprigs, plus extra 1/2 cup chopped oregano leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
400g can chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (280g) orzo or risoni
250g cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup (75g) pitted kalamata olives
Finely grated zest of 1/2 a lemon and juice of 2 lemons
2 tsp caster sugar
100g crumbled feta

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2.

Heat oil in a large deep ovenproof frypan over high heat. Season lamb and cook, in batches, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Return lamb to pan with onion, garlic, oregano sprigs, bay leaves, cumin and paprika. Pour over tomatoes and cover with lid or with foil. Roast for 90 minutes, uncover, turn lamb and roast, uncovered, for a further 45 minutes, or until browned.
3.

Add pasta, 1/2 tsp salt flakes and 3 cups (750ml) boiling water. Re-cover with lid or foil and roast for a further 30 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and olives, re-cover with lid or foil and cook for another 10 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
4.

Meanwhile, combine extra chopped oregano, lemon juice and caster sugar in a bowl. Remove lamb from oven and crumble over feta. Scatter with lemon zest and dress with oregano mixture to serve.