On Instagram, where she has a stonking 621,000 followers, the food developer Marina Georgallides describes herself as a “Greek Cypriot girly feeding the internet”. It was during Covid lockdown, when she set herself the challenge of posting a recipe every day, that this London-based blogger began to take cooking seriously. Fast-forward five years and her debut book, Eat Like a Greek, is coming out this month. It promises 100 quick, easy and delicious recipes, including her versions of classics such as souvlaki and tzatziki. If we’re not able to afford a holiday abroad, at least we can eat like we’re lounging in Mediterranean sunshine.
Many of Marina’s recipes have been passed down from her grandmother. “I cherish the memories of watching my force-to-be-reckoned-with yiayia prepare all sorts of incredible Greek food. Her dedication to feeding our family something new every day has been the source of inspiration and sense of connection to my heritage.”
Here she shares her version of a classic kleftiko, and admits that if she had to pick “one Greek dish to eat for the rest of her life”, it would be this. “Super-tender lamb coated in a garlicky, herby marinade and slow-cooked with lemony potatoes, peppers and red onions – what’s not to love?”
Words by Jane Ferguson
Photographs by Andrew Burton
Marina’s kleftiko
The peppers and red onions become slightly charred when slow-cooked and add a subtle smokiness to the lamb. The trick to getting perfect juicy, tender meat is to seal in the moisture by double-wrapping the roasting tray with baking paper and foil and tightly tucking in the sides. Kleftiko is the dish to make for a special occasion and it’s surprisingly easy – just give it time to slow-cook to perfection!
Serves 4
Ingredients
1kg white potatoes, diced
2 peppers (preferably 1 green and 1 red), stems and seeds removed, cut into 2.5cm dice
1 red onion, chopped
1.4kg boneless shoulder of lamb
For the marinade
6 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
8 tsps white wine vinegar
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsps dried oregano
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground pepper
1 tsp salt
For the lemon and honey glaze
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp runny honey
Salt
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Method
Preheat the oven to 170C fan (190C non-fan), Gas Mark 5. Prepare a large roasting tray by lining it with foil.
Add the prepped veg to the roasting tray to form a layer. Remove the lamb shoulder from its packaging (remove any string as well), and place on top of the vegetables in the tray.
Make the marinade by putting all the ingredients in a food processor and blitzing for 1 min. Pour the marinade over the meat and veg and, wearing disposable gloves, use your hands to fully coat everything.
Cover the tray with a sheet of baking paper, closing in the sides around the contents. Then wrap the top with a sheet of foil and seal in the sides tightly.
Place the tray in the oven and cook for 4 hrs.
Once the lamb has cooked, make the glaze by mixing together the lemon juice, honey and a little salt in a small bowl. Remove the foil and baking paper from the tray and drizzle the honey glaze over the lamb.
Return the tray to the oven and cook for another 20-30 mins or until the top of the lamb is crispy.
Before plating up, I like to shred the lamb so that it absorbs all the delicious juices in the tray. Serve the kleftiko warm.
Eat Like a Greek by Marina Georgallides is published by Hamlyn, £25