Easter recipes: Two ways to cook lamb
Lamb is an Easter favourite for a lot of families. Here is how you can make a Greek Style Roast Leg of Lamb.
Easter is finally here! This is one of the most important holidays in the Christian calendar. Christians celebrate the death and resurrections of Jesus Christ.
Food such as Easter eggs, and hot cross buns are popular around this time.
But another Easter favourite is lamb. Many families across the world eat lamb during the Easter season. According to Delish, this is because in Christian theology, it represents Jesus' self-sacrifice as the "Lamb of God."
The first recipe is the Greek Style Roast Leg of Lamb from popular YouTube channel, Dimitra's Dishes.
READ: 6 Delicious treats to make this Easter weekend
Ingredients
1 leg of lamb, bone-in
10 or more garlic cloves, cut into slivers
2 onions, quartered
salt (about a half teaspoon per pound)
freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup of water
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried crushed oregano,
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °F.
Use a sharp knife to cut slits into the leg of lamb. Stick the garlic slivers into the slits.
Place the lamb in a large roasting pan.
Combine the lemon juice and olive oil together and pour it all over the lamb. Season the lamb on both sides with salt, pepper, and oregano.
Add the rosemary sprigs and the onions to the pan. Pour the water into the pan.
Cover the lamb with a sheet of parchment paper and then tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake for 3-4 hours or until the meat is soft and almost falling off the bone.
Remove the foil and parchment and place the pan back into the oven and onto the middle rack. Turn the broiler element on and broil for 5-10 minutes or until the top is golden. Keep a close eye on it so that the lamb does not burn.
Serve with roasted lemony potatoes, tzatztki, and Mediterranean Rice pilaf. Enjoy and Kali Orexi!
NB: Marinate the meat and insert the garlic cloves the day before serving. Keep it refrigerated and allow the meat to come to room temperature before roasting.
The G’s kitchen Lamb stew
The following recipe is from popular food blogger, Given Ndlovu of G's Kitchen.
Ingredients:
1. Lamb stew
2. Tomato paste
3. Onion
4. Chopped fresh parsley
6. Beef stock
7. Crushed garlic
8. Grated tomatoes
10. Carrot
11. Rosemary leaves.
12. Salt and pepper.
13. Paprika.
Method:
1. Wash your lamb stew and add it into the pan, add 3 cups of water, one beef stock and 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the water dries out.
2. While the lamb stew is still cooking, dice one medium onion and add it into the pan, add 1 teaspoon of paprika, add one medium carrot chopped into small pieces and fry.
3. When the onion is well cooked, add one teaspoon of tomato paste and two grated tomatoes. Let it cook for a about five minutes.
4. When the water has dried out, fry and mix one spoon of lamb soup in 1 cup of water and add it into the pan.
5. Stir to mix well and add two spoons of barbeque sauce and chopped parsley.
6. Let it simmer for a while and serve.
Image courtesy of iStock/ @bhofack2