Arni Giouvètsi ston fourno

Cuisine: Greek
Region: Common

A yet another Greek comfort food classic, Lamb with Orzo in the Oven is easy to cook and – trust us – a lot easier to savour. Enjoy!

Serves 4
Cooking time: approx. 2+1/2 hours
You will need: an oven pan.

Ingredients

• 1 Kg (2 Lbs) lamb.
• 1/2 Kg (1 Lb) orzo or pasta similar to orzo.
• 5-6 mature tomatoes, diced.
• 1 medium sized onion, diced.
• 1 garlic head, diced.
• 1 cup (glass) of olive oil.
• 1 +3 cups (glass) of hot water.
• Salt and pepper.
• Optional: 200g (less than 1/2 Lb) grated cheese.

Instructions

1. Turn the oven on to preheat at 180C / 350F.
2. Wash and cut the meat into portions.
3. Arrange the meat in the oven pan.
4. Peel and dice the tomatoes,
5. Add the tomatoes the rest of the ingredients, except for the orzo, in the oven pan.
6. Add 1 glass of hot water in the oven pan.
7. Add pepper.
8. Put the pan in the oven and leave it cooking for about 2 hours.
9. Two hours later:
   1. turn the meat,
   2. add 3 cups of water,
   3. return the pan into the oven,
   4. let the water boil,
   5. add the orzo,
   6. add salt.
10. When the orzo absorbs the water, the food is ready.
11. Take the pan out of the oven and let is rest for a few minutes.
12. Sprinkle with cheese if so desired.

Notes on Lamb with Orzo in the Oven

• There are many variations of cooking lamb with orzo from country to country and region to region (the main difference is the choice of spices) but the basics remain the same.
• Adding salt at the beginning will potentially result to drying the meat while cooking. We prefer to add salt towards in the end.
• In terms of what kind of cheese to sprinkle on the dish, if any, Pecorino will do nicely – but it’s up to you.
• A few notes as to how to treat lamb and goat meat prior to cooking, here.