Giouvetsi

How to Cook Giouvetsi

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1. Heat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Brown the lamb in the oil in a pan for 8 minutes. Transfer to a deep baking dish.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

2. Soften the onion and garlic in the pan for 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and wine and pour over the lamb with the cinnamon and bay.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

3. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour.

   Mark done Start 1 hr timer

4. Stir in the orzo, hot stock and salt and roast uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

5. Scatter with the cheese and serve from the dish.

   Mark done

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Things to Watch For

1. Cover tightly for the first hour.
2. Check the orzo at 25 minutes.
3. Stir the orzo once or twice so it does not stick.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

About This Recipe

Lamb, tomatoes, orzo: three simple things, and one baking dish. Giouvetsi is the Greek roast in a clay pot, in which the meat is cooked first in a tomato sauce, and the orzo, a rice shaped pasta, goes in for the last half hour so it cooks in the juices and takes on their flavour.

Use lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks on the bone. Brown it in olive oil in a pan, then place it in a deep baking dish with onion, garlic, tomato, a cinnamon stick, bay and a splash of red wine. Cover tightly with foil and roast at 180°C / 355°F for 1 hour, so the meat cooks in its own steam. The cinnamon gives a warm fragrance.

Stir in the orzo and extra hot stock, and roast uncovered for 30 minutes more, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is tender and the sauce has thickened. Top with grated kefalotyri or Parmesan. The orzo should be soft but not mushy, so check at 25 minutes. Serve straight from the dish, with a Greek salad, bread and red wine.

On the Table Alongside

Greek salad · Crusty bread · Red wine

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Greek Lemon Potatoes, Greek Fried Potatoes.

Keeping Giouvetsi

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge.

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: weights that include bone are counted as if all of it were eaten, so the figures run high. The calories include 2 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.

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