Name: Greek Lamb Yiouvetsi with Pasta, Tomatoes, and Cheese
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: Greece
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon dried Greek oregano; Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound kritharaki or orzo; 1 cup grated Greek myzithra, kefalotyri, or pecorino Romano cheese; ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 medium onions, chopped; 1½ tablespoons tomato paste, preferably homemade; 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes; 2 imported bay leaves; ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper; 6 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; Pinch of sugar; 2 pounds lean boneless lamb shoulder; 1 3-inch Ceylon cinnamon stick

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking

By Paula Wolfert

Published 2009

About

This is one of the most famous of all Greek Island lamb dishes. Like guvec, the word yiouvetsi applies to both the dish and also the pot in which it’s cooked. The yiouvetsi pot closely resembles a Turkish guvec, but what’s put into it is quite different. Leg of lamb or lamb shoulder is cooked slowly with tomatoes, herbs, spices, and pasta and then served sprinkled with grated Greek cheese. Like so many eastern Mediterranean casseroles, its best served warm rather