A Greek signature dish
Method
Saute the orzo pasta with olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes and set it aside.
Fry the shanks until they are shielded and leave them aside.
Fry the onion, garlic and carrot until soft.
Add the tomato puree and sugar and sauté a little more.
Quench with the wine and sauté until the alcohol evaporates.
Add the meat again to the pot, add the tomato and the boiled vegetable broth.
Season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf, cinnamon and spices. If you want add some chili flakes.
Once it boils, reduce the heat, shut the lid and simmer for an hour and a half to two hours until the meat is tender.
Turn off the heat and remove the meat from the pot.
Pour some of the sauce into a clay pot which you first heated in the oven. Then add in the orzo pasta and the rest of the sauce. (Ratio of orzo with broth is about one part pasta to three parts broth). Add the meat on top.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.
Serve immediately and add plenty of pepper and grated cheese.
Ingredients
6 lamb shanks (approx. 2 kg) or other meat of your choice
2 onions, finely chopped
100 ml olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
400 grams of peeled canned tomatoes
40 grams of tomato paste
2 carrots, diced small
10 grams of sugar
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
5-6 grains of allspice
100 ml red wine
1,200 ml vegetable stock
500 grams medium rice noodles (pasta)
salt pepper
Hard cheese graviera or grated kefalotyri
