Greek Lamb And Cheese Strudel Recipes

GREEK LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Into the largest saucepan or casserole you have that will go into the oven, pour 3 tablespoons of the oil. Brown the meat in batches over high heat and remove with a slotted spoon to a plate nearby. You may need more oil as you do this. The onions will certainly need it, so pour the remaining oil or add more, add the onions, sprinkling a little salt over them and cook then until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, celery, thyme, and oregano. After a couple of minutes or so, when the smell of garlic wafts up, remove half the mixture. Add the meat to the mixture in the pan, cover with the remaining half, add the bay leaves, carrots, tomatoes, stock and wine. I use a big but flattish casserole and this amount of liquid covers the meat, but if you find you need more liquid, add water- you want a lot of liquid, because you will, eventually, be cooking some pasta in it. Bring to a boil, remove scum, and let bubble for about 3 minutes. Then cover, transfer to the oven, and bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or cook on a very low heat. The meat should be tender and yielding. Remove the carrots (and eat, cook's treat) and bay leaves, too, if you want, and season, to taste, with the salt and pepper.
• Of course you can proceed to the final stage now, but I am presuming you're not going to. In which case, let the stew cool and keep it in the refrigerator until you want it. Skim the fat off the top, and do remember to take it out of the refrigerator a good 1 to 2 hours before you cook it again. You can reheat this in the oven, but because the pasta will be put in on the stove, I tend to heat it there. Make sure the stew is piping hot. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. When it boils, add the salt and then pasta. Cook this until it's nearly but not quite cooked; it should have a couple of minutes still to go.
• Then drain the pasta and add it quickly to the bubbling juices in the casserole, making sure first that there are enough bubbling juices. You don't want the meat to be drowned, but you want enough for the pasta to be covered. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid as it finishes cooking, of course.
• In a couple of minutes, the pasta should be cooked. Crumble some feta and put in a bowl with the chopped parsley, oregano, or basil. Stir to combine and then leave the spoon with it, so that people can sprinkle the herb-spiked cheese over the stew as they wish. Ladle the stew into shallow soup bowls.

STUFFED GREEK LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Lay out the leg of lamb on cutting board with the inside of the lamb facing you. Drizzle olive oil evenly over the lamb. Sprinkle oregano and basil over the lamb. Top lamb with artichoke hearts, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic; season with salt and pepper.
• Roll the lamb around the stuffing. Bundle the lamb with kitchen twine to keep from unrolling. Wrap lamb in aluminum foil and place in a baking dish.
• Roast in preheated oven to your desired degree of doneness, or an internal temperature of 150 degrees F (70 degrees C) for medium, about 90 minutes. Set aside to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing. Reserve pan juices for serving.

GREEK ROAST LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9. Pound the garlic, half the oregano, lemon zest and a pinch of salt in a pestle and mortar, then add the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Stab the lamb all over with a sharp knife, then push as much of the herb paste as you can into the holes.
• Tip the potatoes into a large roasting tin, then toss in the remaining olive oil and any remaining herb paste. Nestle the lamb amongst the potatoes, roast for 20 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Roast for 1 hr 15 mins for medium-rare, adding another 15 mins if you prefer your lamb medium. Baste the lamb once or twice with the juices and toss the potatoes. When the lamb is done to your liking, remove from the tin and let it rest. Throw the rest of the oregano in with the potatoes, scoop from the tin and keep warm.
• Place the roasting tin over a medium flame, add the canned tomatoes and olives to the pan juices, then simmer for a few mins. Serve the lamb with the potatoes and sauce and a simple salad.

CREAM CHEESE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine both packages of cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer. Set aside.
• Lightly spray a 9x13" pan with Pam. Spread out one package of the crescent rolls to cover the bottom of the prepared 9x13" pan.
• Gently spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the pressed crescent roll.
• Take the second package of the crescent roll and roll out between two pieces of wax paper. (This is much easier than trying to spread out on top of the cream cheese mixture already in the pan) Lay on top of the cream cheese mixture.
• Mix together your topping ingredients and spread out over the second layer of the crescent rolls.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until sides turn lightly brown.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Heat dressing in small skillet on medium-low heat. Add rosemary and garlic; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until fragrant. Remove 3 Tbsp. dressing mixture; reserve for later use.
• Add bread crumbs to remaining dressing mixture; mix well. Cook 3 to 5 min. or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add artichokes, cheese and tomatoes; mix lightly.
• Place wire rack in 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray; set aside. Place lamb, cut side up, on cutting board. If any portion of the meat is significantly thicker than other portions, use sharp knife to make horizontal cut into thick portion to partially cut meat in half to make 2 even layers. Open meat, then press with your hands to flatten.
• Spread meat with bread crumb mixture; roll up, starting at one short end. Tie closed in several places with kitchen string; place on wire rack. Rub with reserved dressing mixture.
• Bake 1-1/2 hours or until lamb is cooked to medium-rare doneness (145°F). Remove lamb from oven. Tent with foil; let stand 10 to 15 min. or until done (160°F). Remove and discard string before slicing lamb to serve.

LEG OF LAMB STUFFED WITH GREENS AND FETA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the fennel bulb over medium heat until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add the scallions and chopped garlic and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the greens and sauté, stirring, until wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the fennel seeds and pepper to taste. Let cool, and then add the mint.
• Make 8 small slits randomly in the lamb and insert the garlic quarters.
• Transfer half of the greens mixture to a small bowl. Add the cheese to the greens remaining in the skillet. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt if necessary (Feta is usually quite salty). Stuff the lamb with the cheese mixture, squeezing it to extract the excess juices; add some of the remaining greens if needed; the lamb should be well stuffed. Close the opening with toothpicks. Rub the lamb all over with the remaining greens. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the over to 450°F.
• Scrape the greens off the surface of the lamb and reserve. Brush the lamb with oil and sprinkle with the oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Place the lamb in a roasting pan that just holds it comfortably, preferably clay or Pyrex one. Roast for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the wine to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Add the reserved greens.
• Pour the greens mixture over the lamb and roast for 5 minutes more. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and roast the lamb, basting frequently with the pan juices, adding a little more wine to the pan if necessary, for about 30 minutes longer, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 135°F for medium. Remove the lamb from the oven, sprinkle with the chopped fennel or dill, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Carve the lamb and serve, passing the pan juices in a bowl or sauceboat at the table.
• NOTE: Alternatively, you can use a butterflied leg of lamb. Spread the stuffing over the lamb, roll it up and tie it. Marinate and roast as directed.

GREEK LAMB AND CHEESE STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F In a medium skillet, cook ground meat and onion over medium-high heat until browned. Drain off fat. Stir in cheese, spinach, milk, lemon peel, salt and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
• Unroll phyllo, cover with plastic wrap. Remove one sheet and lightly brush with butter. Place a second sheet on top; brush with butter. Add four more sheets, one at a time, brushing each with butter. Spread half the filling over the phyllo stack, spreading to within 3 inches of long sides and 1 1/2 inches of short sides. Fold short sides of phyllo over the filling. Fold one long side of phyllo over filling, then roll up. Repeat to make second roll.
• Place phyllo rolls, seams down, on a large baking sheet. Brush with remaining melted butter; sprinkle with nutmeg. Score the tops, making cuts 1 inch apart and 1/4 inch deep.
• Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes, slice on the scored lines.