Youvetsi Traditional Greek Orzo Bake Food

GIOUVETSI RECIPE (GREEK BEEF STEW WITH ORZO PASTA)

Steps:

• Pat dry your Giouvetsi meat with paper towels.
• Heat 1/2 of a cup of olive oil into a pan, add the chopped onions and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes in medium-low heat. Turn up the heat and add the veal; brown the meat on all sides until crusty.
• Stir in the tomato paste, sauté for a minute then pour in the red wine. Wait for the wine to evaporate. Add the tinned tomatoes, the sugar, the cinnamon stick and a good pinch of salt and pepper and enough water to cover the meat.
• Turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 45 minutes or until the beef is tender and fully cooked. Occasionally stir and top up with water if the sauce starts to dry out.
• In the meantime, heat another pan, add 3 tbsps of olive oil and the orzo pasta and sauté, until golden.
• Once your meat is done simmering, place the orzo pasta in an oven tray along with the meat and sauce (remove the cinnamon stick) and mix.
• If needed, add enough water so that the pasta is just covered. As a rule of thumb you'll need about 3 cups of liquid for 1 cup of orzo pasta.
• Cover the tray with some aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven at 180C for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, add a splash of water if it has dried out, and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
• To serve, sprinkle with some grated kefalotyri or any hard yellow cheese and enjoy!

YOUVETSI (TRADITIONAL GREEK ORZO BAKE)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook meat until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the orzo. Saute until slightly brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer orzo to a baking pan, spreading it out evenly. Remove meat from the saucepan and place on top of the orzo. Pour tomato sauce evenly over meat. Add hot water. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until all water is absorbed and orzo is soft, about 1 hour. If the dish becomes too dry, add more water during baking.

YOUVETSI (TRADITIONAL GREEK ORZO BAKE)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook meat until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the orzo. Saute until slightly brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer orzo to a baking pan, spreading it out evenly. Remove meat from the saucepan and place on top of the orzo. Pour tomato sauce evenly over meat. Add hot water. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until all water is absorbed and orzo is soft, about 1 hour. If the dish becomes too dry, add more water during baking.

ARNI YOUVETSI (LAMB AND ORZO)

Steps:

• Preaheat oven to 375F (190C).
• Wash and pat dry the leg of lamb. In a large baking pan (if you have an earthenware casserole - even better!), rub lamb with the lemon juice and olive oil over. Season generously with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme. Pour in wine, water, tomato puree, minced onion, garlic and cinnamon around meat. Give the sauce a stir and roast, turning meat over occasionally when you see a crust forming (to brown all sides) for 2 to 3 hours (note: Greeks like their lamb well-done, if you prefer a shorter cooking time, cook to your personal preference).
• In a large saucepan, bring plenty of water to the boil, salt generously and boil the orzo pasta for 8 minutes. Remove and drain - retain a cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the lamb casserole and give everything a stir to distribute orzo throughout the pan.
• Increase heat to 400F (200C) and continue to bake another 15-20 minutes, or until pasta is fully cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid in the pan (it should still be fairly 'juicy' - not dry). If the pasta is too dry, stir in enough of the pasta cooking water you've retained to keep it saucy.
• Have lots of freshly-grated parmesan or kefalotiri cheese to sprinkle over pasta at table.