LAMB AND ORZO ONE-POT WONDER YOUVETSI

My cousin, actor Frank Opperman, once played a Greek in a TV series. A Greek restaurant in Melville in Johannesburg is named The Big Time after that series. We went there to have a traditional Greek evening, complete with breaking plates Zorba-style. Ever since I had this lamb dish I looked all over for a recipe - before the advent of Google. Here is my version of this very delicious, very easy one-pot comfort food.

2 kg stewing lamb

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt and black pepper

10 ml dried oregano

5 ml dried mint

30 ml tomato puree

60 ml olive oil

2 x 410 g cans of chopped tomatoes

225 g orzo (pasta shaped like rice)

300 ml boiling water

125 ml pitted black olives

A dash of lemon juice

125 ml dry white wine

2 onions, chopped

30 ml chopped oregano or mint for garnish

50 g grated Parmesan cheese

• Season the meat on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then brown it in oil on both sides and remove from the pan.

• Fry the onions and garlic until tender, return the meat to the pan.

• Add oregano, mint, tomatoes, lemon juice, tomato purée and wine. Simmer for half an hour.

• Put the meat with the sauce in an ovenproof dish.

• Add the rice pasta, black olives and boiled water.

• Cover and bake for 1 hour at 180°C.

• Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh oregano and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Discover more of Antoinette's delicious recipes in Life on a Table

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