Slow Cook Lamb With Pasta Fresh Tomato Basil Olives And Feta Food

SLOW-COOKED GREEK LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 and sit a shelf as low as possible. Pierce the lamb all over with a small knife, then fill each slit with a garlic clove and half an anchovy fillet. Rub all over with the oil, then season.
• Heat a flameproof casserole dish and sear the lamb all over until well browned. Take off the heat, remove the lamb from the dish and tip in the tomatoes, carrots, sage and rosemary. Sit the lamb on top and scatter over the thyme.
• Cover the dish, slip it onto the bottom shelf of the oven and cook for 4-5 hrs until pull-apart tender. Carefully lift the lamb from the dish, discard the herbs and roughly squash the tomatoes into the juices. Sit the lamb back in the dish and serve in big shredded chunks with tzatziki, chickpea salad and flatbreads for mopping up the juices.

SLOW-COOKED GREEK EASTER LAMB WITH LEMONS, OLIVES & BAY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Arrange the unpeeled garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves and the lemon quarters in a large roasting dish and cover with 200ml cold water. Sit the lamb on top, drizzle with the olive oil and rub it in all over.
• Using a small sharp knife, cut small incisions in the lamb skin, then tuck the remaining peeled and sliced garlic and bay leaves into these slits.
• Season the lamb well and sprinkle over the cinnamon. Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Leave to cook for 4 hrs, skimming the fat from the juices and removing the foil for the final 30 mins of cooking.
• After 1 hr, put the potato wedges in a large roasting tin, coat them in 4 tbsp olive oil and season well. Roast in the oven with the lamb for 11/2-2 hrs.
• Transfer the cooked lamb to a large piece of foil, wrap tightly and leave to rest for 20-30 mins. Check the potatoes are cooked (if you need to, turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 to finish cooking). Add the olives and wine to the pan juices, simmer them and keep warm until ready to carve. Serve the lamb thickly sliced with the olives, potatoes and Tahini & lemon sauce (see 'goes well with'), with the meat juices poured over at the last minute.

FETA-CRUSTED LAMB WITH RICH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Marinate the lamb first. Put the racks into a non-metallic dish and mix the thyme, oil, lemon zest, garlic and half the oregano in a bowl. Rub this all over the lamb, then leave to marinate for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. It's important that you cook the lamb from room temperature rather than fridge cold, so if you're cooking within 1 hr or so, leave it out of the fridge.
• For the sauce, finely chop the parsley stalks. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan or wide casserole, then add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the garlic and the stalks, then soften for 1 min. Add the tomatoes and remaining oregano, then simmer for 5 mins until saucy, popping the cherry tomatoes with your wooden spoon to release all the juices and seeds. Chop the parsley leaves roughly and add half to the pan. Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/ gas 8. Make the crust by mixing the remaining parsley leaves, feta, zest, oregano and breadcrumbs in a bowl.
• When you're ready to cook the lamb, leave most of the tasty marinade on the meat, season it well with salt and freshly ground pepper, then press the crust onto one side of each piece. Sit the racks in the sauce, with the crust-side facing upwards. Strew the thyme sprigs from the marinade over the lamb and into the sauce, then drizzle everything with a little extra virgin olive oil. Roast the lamb in the sauce, uncovered, for 20 mins (for pink and juicy meat) until the crust is golden and the sauce thickened. Leave to rest for 10 mins, loosely covered, so that the crust doesn't go soggy, then carve the lamb between each bone to make cutlets. Serve the crusted cutlets with spoonfuls of the intense, roasted-down tomato sauce, and the Easy buttered onion pilaf and Lemony greens (recipes below). Garnish with thyme.

SLOW-COOK LAMB WITH PASTA, FRESH TOMATO, BASIL, OLIVES AND FETA

Steps:

• Heat a heavy based pot and add the oil.
• When the pot is hot, add the lamb and cook until browned on the outside. Remove the lamb and set aside. turn down the heat slightly.
• Add more oil if necessary, add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
• Return the lamb to the pot, add the wine, stock/consomme and cracked pepper and cook until boiling.
• Turn down the heat, and slowly simmer - covered - for about an hour.
• After 45 mins, cook the pasta to instructions.
• Once the lamb is tender and the wine and stock/consomme has significantly reduced, add the tomatoes, olives - stir through. - and cook another 5 minutes.
• Toss the feta and basil through the lamb in the pot.
• Drain pasta and put into serving bowls. Top with lamb mixture and serve.

LAMB IN THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb and cook until outside is browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and add onion to the oil in the skillet. Saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Place onion in the bottom of a slow cooker pot and place the lamb roast on top. Mix water, soy sauce, garlic, and onion soup mix together and pour over the roast. Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours.
• Remove roast, cover lightly with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes before carving. Mix butter and flour into a paste. Add small pieces of this paste to the hot cooking liquid, mixing well to incorporate. Cook until sauce reaches desired thickness, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Slice roast thinly and serve with gravy.

PASTA WITH FETA AND GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook at a gentle boil until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the olives, cooking until they start to blister in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, then add in the garlic, lemon zest and red-pepper flakes, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds, then let sit uncovered until the pasta is finished.
• Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain the pasta, then return it to the pot over medium-low heat. Pour in the olive mixture, the lemon juice and ¾ cup pasta water, and stir well for 1 to 2 minutes until the noodles are coated in a smooth, glossy sauce, adding more water if needed. Turn off the heat, stir in the feta and let it soften and melt slightly. Finish with a grind or two of black pepper and a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes, if desired. Season to taste with salt, and serve immediately.

PASTA WITH UNCOOKED TOMATOES, BASIL, CAPERS, OLIVES AND FETA

Steps:

• Combine the olive oil, tomatoes, capers, olives, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and let sit for 30 minutes or longer.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a heaped tablespoon of salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente, drain, and toss at once with the tomato sauce and feta. Serve hot or at room temperature.

LAMB STEAKS WITH TOMATOES & OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat the oil in a large roasting tin on the hob. Brown the lamb steaks in the tin over a high heat, about 1 min each side.
• Add the onion to the roasting tin with the oregano. Pour over the wine and throw in the tomatoes. Scatter the olives over the top, then place the tin in the oven for 15 mins until the lamb is cooked. Scatter with flat-leaf parsley and serve with boiled new potatoes.

FRESH TOMATO BASIL PASTA WITH FETA

Steps:

• Mix tomatoes, basil, oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta until al dente then drain.
• Toss pasta with tomato mixture and feta cheese.
• Serve immediately.