Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Roasted Vegetables

You can’t beat lamb shoulder, slow roasted with loads of vegetables, rosemary and garlic. It practically falls off the bone, the succulent lamb is so tender. I promise you won't even need a knife.

This week my Sunday Supper group is joyously celebrating a wedding we wish we could really attend, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, the sequel to one of our favorite movies. It’s been a long time coming! When the theme for this week was first announced, all I could think about was the quote from Aunt Voula, and one of my favorite scenes from the first movie.

Aunt Voula: What do you mean he don't eat no meat?
[the entire room stops, in shock]
Aunt Voula: Oh, that's okay. I make lamb.

So I had to make lamb. We eat lamb a minimum of three to four times a month at our house, either roasted leg or shoulder, lamb steaks, lamb patties with mashed potatoes and gravy, not to mention grilled lamb chops. This dish is one of our favorites and would make a great main course for Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday which will be celebrated on May 1st this year.

Make sure you scroll down and check out the link list of all the other My Big Fat Greek Wedding-inspired dishes we are sharing today, along with our talented host, Nichole from Casa de Crews. What a fabulous Greek wedding feast this would be!

Adapted from JamieOliver.com.

Ingredients
2 purple onions (approx. weight 9 oz or 255g)
3 carrots (approx. weight 9 oz or 255g)
2- 3 stalks celery (approx. weight 3 3/4 oz or 105g)
Few sprigs fresh thyme
5-6 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 for garnish, if desired
Olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 lb 10 oz or 2.55kg lamb shoulder, bone in
2 1/3 oz or 65g cloves garlic (about 15)
2 red chili peppers (optional but we love the hint of spice that infuses the whole dish)
4 ripe tomatoes (approx. weight 11 oz or 312g)
2 cans – 14oz or 400g – whole plum tomatoes
1 2/3 cups or 375ml drinkable red wine (half a bottle)
2 bay leaves
1 large leek (approx. weight 14 oz or 400g, before trimming)

Method
Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and make sure the shelves are positioned so that you put a pan with a big lamb shoulder in it. I use my large Le Creuset roaster so I put the shelf almost at the bottom to leave room for the cover and its round handle.

Peel the onions and carrots. Quarter the onions. Cut the carrots and celery into bite-sized pieces.

Strip the leaves off of your thyme and sprinkle half of them into the bottom of a large roasting pan, along with a good drizzle of olive oil, a couple of sprigs of rosemary and a good pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Season the bottom of your lamb shoulder with more salt and pepper and lay it on the herb bed.

Use a sharp paring knife to poke holes in the top of the lamb shoulder, then stuff these holes with a quarter or half a clove of garlic (depending on the size of your clove) and a few rosemary leaves.

Give the whole thing a good sprinkle of salt, fresh ground black pepper. Add on the other half of the thyme leaves and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Add the onions, celery and chili peppers around the lamb shoulder.

Chop your tomatoes in large pieces and add them to the pot along with the carrots.

Pour in the canned tomatoes, along with half a can of water and the rest of the garlic cloves.

Pour in the wine and then tuck the bay leaves down in between the vegetables.

Thoroughly clean the leek, cut off and discard the hard green end, and then chop the white part into small cylinders. Add these to the pot.

Cover the roasting pan tightly with a double layer of heavy-duty foil or its tight fitting cover and put it into the oven. Turn down the oven temperature to 325°F or 170°C and cook for about three hours.

Remove the cover or the foil, baste the lamb shoulder with the juice in the pan or drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Cook for another 30 minutes or until the lamb is nicely browned and falling off the bone.

You can gently remove some of the bones before putting it on the table for folks to help themselves or pull it apart for them in the kitchen.

Either way, serve it with some crusty bread to sop up all the juices. Or over the top of some mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

Have you seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 yet? It just opened in the cinemas here in Dubai but I haven’t had a chance go yet so I am going to have to just console myself with some movie-inspired dishes instead. Won’t you join me?

Greek Appetizers:

• Greek Salad (Horiatiki Salata) by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Greek-Style Sliders with Feta Aioli by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Mushroom, Kalamata Olive and Feta Stuffed Phyllo with Whipped Feta Dip by Pook’s Pantry
• Rosemary and Olive Grissini by What Smells So Good?
• Socca Pizza with Spinach, Roasted Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Spanakopita Bites by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Tiropitas (Greek Cheese Triangles ) by Moore or Less Cooking
• Tyropita Appetizer Bites by The Freshman Cook

Greek Soups:

• Avgolemono Chicken Zoodle Soup by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Quick and Easy Greek Avgolemono Soup by Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Shrimp Avgolemono with Spinach by Monica’s Table
• Vegetarian Magiritsa (Greek Easter Soup) by Palatable Pastime

Greek Breakfast:

• Baklava French Toast with Cinnamon Honey Syrup by A Mind Full Mom

Greek Main Dishes:

• Brizola (Greek-style Pork Chops) by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Chicken Greek Salad Flatbread by Family Foodie
• Greek Chirashi Sushi by NinjaBaker
• Greek Breakfast Wraps by Brunch-n-Bites
• Greek Meatball Salad by Magnolia Days
• Gyro Meatballs with Lemon Rice by Casa de Crews
• Kotopita (Greek Chicken Pie) by Curious Cuisiniere
• Mediterranean Meatball Gyros Sandwich by Life Tastes Good
• Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Roasted Vegetables by Food Lust People Love
• Souvlaki Chicken Wraps with Homemade Tzatziki by The Crumby Cupcake
• Youvetsi (Greek beef or lamb and orzo stew) by Caroline’s Cooking

Greek Side Dishes:

• Greek-style rice salad by Pine Needles In My Salad
• Greek Zucchini Fritters by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Homemade Tzatziki Sauce by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Spanakorizo by Feeding Big and More

Greek Desserts:

• Chocolate Baklava by The Chef Next Door
• Greek Lemon Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Greek Spice Cake by Our Good Life
• Greek Walnut Cake by Pies and Plots
• Greek Wedding Cookies - Kourabiethes/Kourabiedes by La Bella Vita Cucina
• Loukoumades - Greek Donuts by The TipToe Fairy
• Loukoumades (Greek honey fritters) by The Redhead Baker

Greek Beverages:

• Ouzito: The Greek Mojito by Hardly A Goddess

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Creamy Leek and Chicken Hand Pies #FridayPieDay

Leeks sautéed in butter are the perfect start to a creamy béchamel sauce which is folded around tender chicken then baked in puff pastry till flakey and crunchy. These handy chicken pies are perfect for lunch boxes or a special brunch or dinner at home. 

Leeks are the milder cousin of the onion, not so sharp but still with a lovely oniony flavor. They soften beautifully when sautéed in butter and almost melt into a white sauce. They are a beautiful match for chicken in a pot pie or really, any dish but today, for Friday Pie Day, I created these hand pies with my favorite chicken pot pie in mind.

Ingredients
2 cooked chicken breasts, bones removed  - about 9 1/2 oz or 270g total
1 long leek - about 6 oz or 172g whole, 4 oz or 113g after the hard green bit is trimmed
1 red chili pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup or 120ml whole milk
11 2/3 oz or 330g puff pastry
1 egg

Method
Cut the hard green part off of your leeks and trim the roots. Split the white part in half. Wash well, making sure to clean any dirt that might be hiding in the root end. Slice the clean leek into small pieces and cube the cooked chicken.

Mince the red chili pepper then sauté it with the leek in the butter until softened, add a healthy pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Sprinkle on the flour and stir to combine it with the softened leeks and butter. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove the pan from the heat briefly and add in the milk.

Stir vigorously until you have a thin sauce. Put the pan back on the stove over a medium heat and cook until the sauce begins to thicken and a spoon dragged through leaves a gap that fills up again slowly.

Add in the chicken and stir to coat. Cook for a few minutes more, until the sauce is very thick. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with baking parchment or a silicone mat.

Cut your puff pastry dough into four equal pieces and roll one out until it is about 7in or 28cm square.

Whisk your egg with a fork and brush a little bit all around the pastry square with a pastry brush.

Divide the cooled chicken leek mixture into four equal portions and put one on the pastry square.

Fold the pastry over to form a triangle and press the air out as you seal the sides by pressing down all around the edges. Brush more egg around the edges of the pastry triangle.

Start folding the pastry over again, to double seal the edges.

Place the triangle on your lined cookie sheet and repeat the process until you have four hand pies ready to bake. Brush them all with the beaten egg.

Bake in your preheated oven about 20-25 minutes or until the hand pies are puffed and golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least a few minutes before serving. You do not want to burn your mouth with the hot filling.

Enjoy!

Now after you have these for your main course, may I suggest finishing off the meal with Triple Cherry Pie  from my friend and creator of Friday Pie Day, Heather, over at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen?

I am pleased to join her on the last Friday of each month for pie and crust recipes, techniques, tools of the trade, and other inspiration.

For more information and recipes, please check out her #FridayPieDay page!

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Egyptian Date Crescents #CreativeCookieExchange

These melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crescents are filled with sweet and sticky dates then covered in powdered sugar. 

My Creative Cookie Exchange group is celebrating spring around the world today, with recipes for Easter, Purim, Passover and more. Searching online for cookie recipes is often a rabbit hole of no return, but I managed come back this time with these Egyptian date crescents that the author said she and her mother always made for her father for Easter.  In fact, Easter is celebrated in a big way in Egypt, which surprised me when we lived in Cairo. The Coptic Christians are a minority, but they are a very vocal and visible influence in life there, where they live side by side, for the most part quite peaceably, with their Muslim neighbors.

Adapted from What She’s Having.

Ingredients - makes 2 dozen cookies
7 oz or 200g whole dates
2 cups or 250g flour
1 cup or 225g  butter at room temp, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 60ml cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup or 94g powdered sugar

Method
In a small bowl, cover the dates with hot but not boiling water and set aside.

Using a pastry blender to combine the butter and flour and salt until they form large crumbles and there are no large pieces of butter.

Add the vanilla to the milk. Then add the milk to the butter and flour.

Stir until well combined. The dough is going to be quite sticky. If you live in a warm climate, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes. Don’t leave it too long or the butter will stiffen up and the dough will no longer be pliable.

Drain the dates and remove the pits and any little stemmy bits on the one end.

Use a sharp knife to chop the dates finely. Use the edge of the knife to make a square out of the date paste and cut it into 24 pieces.

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with baking parchment or silicone liners.

Cut the dough into 24 squares.

Taking one square at a time, form it into a ball.

Press the center of the ball down to create an indent and press it out into an oval. Place one piece of the dates into the middle.

Close the dough up over the dates.

Roll the dough gently between your hand to lengthen it. Bend into a crescent.

Place on your prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bottom of the cookies are just golden. Let cool completely.

Roll in icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Check out all the lovely spring cookies we are sharing today!

• Chocolate Candy Coconut Cookies from Magnolia Days
• Easter Biscuits from Baking in Pyjamas
• Easter Egg Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Egyptian Date Crescents from Food Lust People Love
• Lemon Hamantaschen from Spiceroots
• Lemon Meltaway Cookies from A Baker's House
• Ma'amoul – Date Stuffed Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Malt M&M's Easter Cookies from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Maltese Figolli Cookies from Upstate Rambling
• Peach and Pistachio Frangiapane Hamantaschen from Live Bake Love
• Persian Chickpea Cookies (Nan e Nokhodchi) from Flours and Frostings
• Taralli Dolci di Pasqua (Southern Italian Easter Cookies) from The Spiced Life
• Zesty Citrus Bar Cookies from 2 Cookin' Mamas

Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life, this month with technical assistance from Anshie of Spiceroots. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts at The Spiced Life). We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

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Spicy Egg Biryani

Spicy egg biryani is the perfect balance of fragrant rice and mellow boiled eggs, great as a vegetarian main dish or as a side to be served with a meat-based curry.

Here in the United Arab Emirates, our weekend is Friday and Saturday, with Sunday being a normal working day. Most Fridays will find us out on the water in our Drascombe Longboat, a small single hull sailing vessel. It’s not fancy but is perfectly suited to day trips amongst the islands all around the bigger island of Abu Dhabi with a two-man (one dog) crew.

After a day in the sea, salt air and sun with friends, we return to shore and spend the evening sipping gin and tonic with those same friends and we almost invariably order curry for dinner. I am familiar with most of the dishes, typical Jalfreezis and Kormas and Vindaloos but egg biryani was a new one for me. Spicy rice with whole boiled eggs! Apparently it isn’t even on the menu so one just has to know to order it. And I’m so glad my friends did.

I wish my whole Sunday Supper family could join us out on the water someday but at least you can eat some egg biryani of a Friday evening. It’s got a lot of ingredients but don’t let that discourage you. It doesn’t take long to make and is so worth it.

Make sure you scroll on down to see all of the delicious egg recipes we are sharing today, along with our eggstraordinary host, Wendy of Wholistic Woman.

Recipe adapted from Swasthi's Recipes.

Serves 3-4 as a main course, 5-6 as a side dish
Ingredients
5-6 eggs (We are going to boil these so you could use leftover Easter eggs!)
1 1/2 cups or 300g basmati rice
1 large potato

For the tarka:
3 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
1 star anise
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 green cardamom pods
4 to 5 cloves
1 inch or 2.5cm cinnamon stick
1 strand mace

For the spice paste:
1 large onion
2 medium tomatoes
Generous handful mint and cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish, if desired
1 small knob fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons plain thick (Greek style) yogurt
Salt
2 green chili peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons biryani masala powder (premixed spices for biryani, any one will do)
2 1/2 cups or 590ml cold water

Method
Rinse your rice until the water runs clear and then soak it in cool water for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Drain water and set the rice aside in a colander or strainer.

Put your eggs to cook in a pot of cool water. When the water comes to the boil, cover the pot, turn the fire off and leave for 10 minutes. Drain and fill with more cool water. Peel the eggs when they are cool enough to handle. Prink them all over with a fork. Set aside.

Peel and cut your potato in small cubes. Thinly slice the onions and chop your tomatoes.

Roughly chop your herbs and reserve some for garnish.

Peel the ginger and garlic cloves and mash them into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Split your green chili peppers down the middle, just up to the stem.

In a pot with a tight fitting lid that will be big enough to hold all the biryani, heat your ghee and then fry the dried spices in it briefly, stirring constantly. Watch out for popping cardamom pods.

Add in the sliced onions and fry till golden brown, stirring frequently. Add in the ginger garlic paste and fry for just a few minutes again, stirring well.

Add in the tomatoes, chopped herbs, turmeric, cayenne, salt, split green chili peppers, yogurt and a good sprinkling of salt. Stir well and cook until the tomatoes turn mushy and you have a good thick paste.

Add the eggs and cubed potatoes. Stir gently to coat them with the seasonings.

Add in the drained rice and the biryani masala powder and stir again to coat the rice with the wet and dry seasonings, being careful not to break the eggs.

Pour in the cold water and one teaspoon of salt. Stir again. Over a medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot with its tight fitting lid.

Simmer for 20 minutes or until the water has been fully absorbed and the rice is cooked. Leave the lid on the pot until you are ready to serve as the rice will continue to steam inside.

To serve, fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle on some chopped herbs and make sure that everyone gets at least one egg.

Enjoy!

Looking for eggspirational recipes? We've got 'em for you today!

Appetizers & Sides

• Classic Deviled Eggs from Confessions of a Cooking Diva
• Classic Deviled Eggs(-alad Sandwiches) from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Easter Deviled Egg Chicks from Pine Needles In My Salad
• Guacamole Deviled Eggs from Momma’s Meals
• Ham and Swiss Deviled Eggs from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Hrudka – Ukrainian Egg Cheese for Easter from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Jalapeño Popper Deviled Eggs from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Smoky Deviled Bacon And Eggs from Taste And See
• Spicy Sriracha Deviled Eggs from An Appealing Plan

Main Dishes (Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Brinner and Dinner!)

• Achiote Pulled Pork and Black Bean Huevos Rancheros from Cooking on The Ranch
• Asparagus Sausage Skillet with Egg from Wholistic Woman
• Avocado Egg Chilaquiles from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Baked Eggs in Cream from Tramplingrose
• Baked Scotch Eggs from Curious Cuisiniere
• Chorizo, Dubliner, and Vegetable Quiche from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Classic Egg Salad Sandwich from My Imperfect Kitchen
• Classic Shirred Eggs with Gruyere and Ham from The Weekend Gourmet
• Egg Biryani from Food Lust People Love
• Fri-Tot-Ta from Feeding Big
• Hashbrown Egg Nests from The TipToe Fairy
• Italian Style Stuffed Bread from The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
• Jalapeño Popper Quiche from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Japanese Egg Crepes (Kinshi Tamago) from NinjaBaker.com
• Low Carb Breakfast Pizza from My Life Cookbook
• Make Ahead & Freeze Omelette Cups from Hardly A Goddess
• Mediterranean Frittata from A Mind “Full” Mom
• Mini Frittata with Asparagus and Six Italian Cheeses from La Bella Vita Cucina
• Papas con Huevos (Potato and Egg Tacos) from Kitchen Gidget
• Pasta Carbonara with Shrimp and Leeks from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Poached Eggs over Roasted Asparagus from Monica’s Table
• Potato, Egg and Cheese Scramble from And She Cooks
• Spaghetti with Fried Eggs from The Texan New Yorker
• Steak Benedict from Palatable Pastime
• Steak Omelette from From Gate to Plate
• Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Quiche from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sunny Side Up Burger from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Tex-Mex Migas from Caroline’s Cooking
• Toad in the Hole Breakfast Sandwiches from Daily Dish Recipes
• Tomato Asiago Frittata from Books n’ Cooks
• Yemeni Shakshouka (Yemeni Spiced Scrambled Eggs) from Tara’s Multicultural Table

Desserts

• Creamy Flan from The Freshman Cook
• Creme Anglaise from The Redhead Baker
• Croquembouche from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Dark Chocolate Mousse from The Chef Next Door
• Orange Coconut Bundt Cake from Desserts Required
• Pavlova with Strawberry Curd from Love and Confections
• Pistachio Chai Baked Alaska from The Crumby Cupcake
• White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Pies and Plots

Jade - our Drascombe Longboat. 

Our salty dog, Beso. He loves sailing! 

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