ΝΟΤΕ: It’s common to bake the lamb on a bed of vegetables in this region as it is in Macedonia. This recipe is from Thebes.
Ingredients:
1 cup of good olive oil
1 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 leg of goat or lamb, fat removed
1 1/2 kilos fresh spring onions (this is the original recipe – personally I would use a smaller quantity of spring onions)
8 cloves of garlic peeled and cut (this is for fresh garlic but feel free to use the dried version)
1 kilo of fresh spinach, well washed and cut
1 cup of dill, finely chopped
1 cup of parsley, finely chopped
Method:
1. In a large bowl, place 6 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 cup lemon juice, water, salt and pepper and beat well. Lay the meat in this mixture, cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. Heat oven to 200°C.
3. Grease a large baking pan, clean and cut spring onions and garlic, keeping most of the green part.
4. In a large, deep frypan heat 1/4 cup olive oil and add the spinach till it wilts, remove from heat.
5. Add the cleaned and cut onions and garlic to the spinach.
6. Add the dill and parsley and remaining lemon juice.
7. Spread this vegetable mix in the bottom of the oven dish.
8. Place the meat on top of the vegetables and pour over the marinade juice and season with salt and pepper.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes till meat has browned.
10. Turn heat down to 175°C.
11. Cover the pan with aluminium foil and bake for another 45-50 minutes.
12. Check and make sure that the vegetables have not dried out; you might need to add some water to the pan if this is happening.
12. Serve with the vegetables in a platter.