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Arni Kleftiko Stolen Lamb


The Cypriots and Greeks have a few differences,
And can argue a great deal,
But both agree when it comes to ‘Kleftiko”
It has forever been, the most delectable 
Traditional Greek meal,
That ever a bandit could steal!
It is absolutely scrumptious for those	
Who of it have a taste,
But must be cooked with patience, and no haste!
For once put into a clay pot, must cook
For 3 to 4 hours or more, you could put
Your feet up, relax, or read your book! 
Let’s start at the beginning:
Kleftiko means stolen lamb,
In its entirety, every single gram,
And earned it’s name during the 19th century,
And still much entrenched in traditional memory!
Cypriot freedom fighters (Cyprus was occupied by
The Turkish Ottoman Empire) slept under a starry sky,
They lived in the mountains and had no meat,
So had to steal a lamb to eat!
The aroma of cooking Cypriot style lamb, can 
Spread to far and wide,
Freedom fighters had to be careful, 
As most obviously, they had to hide!
They prepared their pit fire in the ground,
During the day
And cooked this lamb in a very special way!
In a clay pot, they put this meat
To heat,
Underneath the ground
And covered it with coalS and rocks,
Not visible from above or around.
Not even a hint of a smell,
That would give away, or tell!
After a hard day’s clandestine work, 
These Freedom Fighters would return,
Hungry and tired and uncover their slow 
Cooked meal, for which all day they’d yearn!
Today this Cypriot-Greek dish is international
Eaten in restaurants around the world,
And is totally multinational!
But here is a recipe to follow,
Read the instructions, cook it and wallow
In a Cypriot/Greek style cuisine, each succulent
Piece of shank is a treasure to swallow! 

HAVE FUN!

Yield: approximately 4 to 6 servings Ingredients:
 1/4 cup full flavored virgin olive oil, butter is actually nicer - about 1/3 of a 
  pound of butter 
 2 lbs of boneless lamb - cut into 1 inch cubes/ nicer still
  are 5-6 lamb shanks - each shank serves one person, so you can decide.
 4 -5 cloves of fresh garlic - cut into thin slivers
 3 tsp oregano
 6-7 bay leaves
 4 tsp of fresh thyme - finely chopped
 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
 2 lemons - juiced
 course sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
 4 carrots - cut into 3-4 pieces
 6 potatoes - cut into 3-4 pieces as you would prepare roast potatoes

Heat half of the olive oil in a pan and add the cubes of lamb, and cook, stirring frequently for approx 5-7 minutes, until lightly browned. Add in the garlic, carrots, and potatoes, and stir for another 2 minutes until they are all thoroughly coated with the hot oil. Remove from heat and remove the lamb and vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon, placing in a separate bowl. Place the lamb and vegetables onto the parchment paper you have laid out on a baking sheet. Add the oregano, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice to the lamb and fold the paper over the lamb until you have a tightly sealed yet loose package. Place in a preheated oven at 180C or 350F for approximately 3-4 hours, or until tender. Remove from the oven, and let it rest for approx 8 minutes before cutting open the parchment. Serve immediately with its juices along with the potatoes and carrots.

OR THIS IS MY RECIPE 

Put your lamb shanks into a roasting dish surrounded by potatoes and carrots , 
chop butter into small pieces all over dish add your ingredients mentioned above and topsy turvey everything with your hands.  Don't forget to squeeze a lemon over it, lamb loves lemon!  Your oven should be preheated to 250. Cover well with foil and check after an hour - when you open the foil the aroma will have already begun. 
Put dish back, having turned all inside the dish, for approximately another hour check the meat could be ready, but will probably need another hour.  Now turn oven down to 200, still cover with foil.
The secret of this dish is for it not to be crispy but to cook in its juices.
Make a Greek salad and tsatsiki
ENJOY.
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