Best Greek Lamb With Spinach And Orzo Recipes

GREEK LAMB STEW WITH ORZO PASTA RECIPE (LAMB GIOUVETSI)

Steps:

• To prepare this lamb giouvetsi recipe, start by cutting the lamb into chunks. Wipe the lamb 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 lamb; brown the meat on all sides until crusty.
• Stir in the tomato paste and pour in the red wine. Wait for the wine to evaporate. Add the tinned tomatoes, a glass of water, the nay leaf, sugar and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
• Turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for at least 45 minutes.
• In the meantime into another pan heat 3 tbsps of olive oil and the orzo pasta. Sauté, until golden.
• Place the orzo pasta along with the meat and sauce in an oven tray (remove the bay leaf) and mix with a spatula. Cover the tray with some aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven at 180C for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, add a glass of water if needed, and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with some grated hard yellow cheese (kefalotyri) and enjoy!

BAKED LAMB AND ORZO (ARNI YOUVETSI)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Rub the lamb with olive oil and sprinkle very liberally with salt and pepper. Sear the lamb in a heavy bottomed skillet. Transfer to a casserole dish.
• Add a little olive oil to the skillet, then add the onions. Cook until tender, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until they start to become incorporated with the onions. Add the diced tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the liquid to the lamb casserole. Cover it and bake until the lamb is very tender, about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Add the orzo and stir. Add some hot water if it starts to look dry and continue to bake, uncovered, until the orzo is cooked, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Serve pieces of the lamb alongside the orzo and top generously with your choice of cheese.

GREEK LAMB AND ORZO

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the lamb, and cook until browned and no longer pink, breaking up into crumbles, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, celery, orzo, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the orzo is tender and has absorbed the liquid from the tomatoes, about 12 minutes.

GREEK LAMB WITH SPINACH AND ORZO

Steps:

• Trim fat from meat. Cut to fit into 3.5-6Qt. slow cooker. Combine oregano, lemon peel, garlic, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over lamb and rub lightly. Place lamb in crockpot. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
• Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
• Remove lamb, discard fat, chop meat and set aside. Add spinach to cooker (with juices), stirring until spinach is wilted. Add cooked orzo, feta, and lamb; stir to mix.
• A sprinkling of toasted pine nuts (pignoli) is a nice touch.

"GREEK" LAMB WITH ORZO

Steps:

• In a good sized Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering. Add the lamb and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Cook, stirring to break it apart, until it is nicely browned. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 2 tablespoons of the fat.
• Return the pot to the stovetop and add olive oil and the onion (still over medium-high). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic. Stir in the spices (cinnamon, oregano, cumin, coriander, and red pepper)and cook until they start smelling toasted and fragrant (1 to 2 minutes). Stir in the whole tomatoes, crushed by hand. Cook the crushed tomatoes in the spices, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Then, add the can of diced tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
• Add the cooked lamb back to the pot, give it a good stir, then cover the pot and leave it to cook, stirring from time to time, for 20 minutes. At this point, stir in the fresh spinach and cook just a couple more minutes until the spinach is wilted. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste (keeping in mind you'll be sprinkling a touch of feta and olives on, which will add to the saltiness). While the lamb and tomatoes are simmering together and marrying their flavors, bring a large pot of well-salted water (it should taste like sea water) to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 7 or 8 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
• Drain the orzo. Toss the orzo with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the lemon juice, and all of the parsley, adding a bit of pasta water at a time, if you feel it needs additional liquid.Spread the orzo out on an enormous serving platter. Spoon the lamb and sauce all over the top, then sprinkle with the feta and chopped olives. A good red wine, on the dry side, is a highly recommended companion here.

SPINACH, LAMB AND ORZO SOUP

Steps:

• Bring water and chicken broth to boil in heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat. Add lamb shanks, carrot, chopped onion, celery and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lamb is tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Transfer lamb to plate and cool slightly. Remove meat from bone and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Strain cooking liquid and reserve.
• In same pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced onion and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add reserved cooking liquid, lamb meat and orzo. Cook soup over medium heat until orzo is tender but still firm to bite, about 20 minutes. Add spinach to soup and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring soup to simmer before serving.) Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing grated Parmesan cheese separately.

GREEK EASTER ROAST LAMB AND ORZO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place lamb in a roasting pan. Add mashed tomatoes, onion, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Combine and make sure lamb is well coated. Cover pan with a lid or aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for about 3 hours. Remove from the oven and remove aluminum foil; leave oven on.
• Add water and orzo directly to the roasting pan. Return to the hot oven and bake until pasta is cooked and very little liquid remains, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Add feta cheese and mix until melted and combined.