Tave Kosi – Lamb Baked with Rice

Ingredients:

50 g salted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
700 g lamb shoulder diced
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 tsp fresh oregano chopped finely
100 ml water
30 g plain flour
300 g natural Greek yoghurt
100 g long grain rice
2 eggs beaten
Whole nutmeg
Salt and pepper to season

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°c/ 160°c fan / gas mark 4. Heat 20g of the butter and the oil in a pan. Brown the diced lamb.
2. Once brown, add the crushed garlic clove, oregano and water. Simmer for 30 minutes until the lamb is tender.
3. Add the rice and season to taste. In a separate small pan, melt the rest of the butter. Add the flour and whisk to create a roux. Once combined, remove from heat and add yoghurt. Whisk to combine. Add beaten egg and whisk again.
4. Pour the sauce all over the lamb, distributing evenly. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until brown on top. Grate over nutmeg and serve.

Notes:

1. Reheating – If you are cooking for many people or have some leftovers and want to re-heat, you will need to re-heat thoroughly. Lamb needs to be heated until piping hot and above 70°c. It’s recommended to heat using a microwave for best results. Rice can be reheated however you need to be a bit more careful as it can contains a bacteria that is resistant to heat. Make sure that leftovers are cool before you store in the fridge within. It needs to also be reheated at around 17 degrees before serving.
2. Storage – You should store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container, preferably on the top shelf.
3. Freezing – You can also freeze if you are cooking in advance and/or have some leftovers. Freeze in a tight-lidded container to avoid freezer burn on the food. Defrost thoroughly and follow re-heating guidelines above.