Slow cooked lamb and olive orzo
This Greek-inspired one-pot dinner slow cooks lamb neck until tender in a stew of olives, oregano and cinnamon. Orzo is added at the end and cooked in the richly flavoured juices. Serve topped with feta, if you like.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500g/1lb 2oz lamb neck fillet, cut into 2–3cm/¾–1¼in chunks
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 70g/2½oz pitted black olives, chopped
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú orzo
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú feta (optional)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Place a large, lidded, flameproof casserole over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the lamb and fry for 10 minutes until browned all over. Season with salt and pepper as you go, but only turn the pieces once, so they have time to get a good colour.
Add the onions and garlic to the pan, then reduce the heat ever so slightly and fry for a further 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for a minute, then stir in the dried oregano, ground cinnamon and black olives. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Crumble in the stock cube, then stir in 1 litre/1¾ pint of just-boiled water and add the tinned tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour the lamb should be tender. Carefully remove from the oven and stir in the orzo. Put the lid back on and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Serve topped with crumbled feta.