SLOW-COOKED LAMB WITH SPAGHETTI ( LIOTO ME MAKARONIA)

The plentiful onions in this dish melt into the flavourful sauce and, combined with the spaghetti, create a wonderful, hearty dish ideal for a special occasion. If you can’t get ripe tomatoes, use canned with their juice.

SERVES 4-6 H

1 large or 2 medium juicy, ripe tomatoes

3-4 tbsp olive oil

1.5kg lamb leg, with the bone, cut into portions of 180g-200g – ask your butcher to do this

800g onions, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

7 allspice berries

200ml dry white wine

1 tsp dried marjoram

550ml warm water

500g spaghetti sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE

grated dried mizithra cheese or ricotta salata

Chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Wash the tomatoes and grate coarsely until you are left with the skin; discard the skin.

Place a wide, shallow pan over a medium-high heat. Pour in 2-3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Brown the meat, in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan, turning it on all sides. Return all the browned meat to the pan and season with salt. Add the onions and garlic, cinnamon, bay leaves and allspice. Stir, then pour in the wine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes and dried marjoram, remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Transfer the meat to a casserole dish (with a tight-fitting lid), then pour over the sauce and the warm water. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti for half the cooking time on the packet instructions. Drain, mix with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set aside.

Remove the lamb from the oven after its 1½ hours, and mix in the spaghetti. Cover and place in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve sprinkled with the cheese, parsley and ground black pepper.