Tsigariasto

Name: Tsigariasto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 135 min
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1.5 kg lamb shoulder on the bone; 100 ml extra virgin olive oil; 1 onion; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp black pepper; 250 ml hot water; 1 lemon

Fried and braised lamb

Tsigariasto: Cretan lamb fried and then slowly braised in its own juices and olive oil

Features:

One pot High protein Dairy free

Cuisine:

Greek

Tsigariasto comes from the verb 'to sizzle', and in the mountain villages of Crete it is the everyday way to cook lamb or kid: the pieces are browned hard in good olive oil, then left to stew slowly, covered, in nothing more than their own juices with salt and pepper. The result is meltingly tender meat in a small amount of rich, golden sauce, served with chips fried in olive oil, a horiatiki salad and bread. Common mistake: adding too much water, which turns it into a boiled stew; add only a splash at a time when the pan looks dry. Chef's tip: keep the lid on tight and the flame very low; the meat should murmur, not bubble.

Total time: 135 min
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 4

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Ingredients

Serves4

3 ⅓ lb lamb shoulder on the bonecut into 6 cm pieces by the butcher
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onionfinely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepperfreshly ground
1 cup hot wateradded a little at a time
1 lemonjuiced

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Method

0/6 done

Step 1: Pat 3 ⅓ lb lamb shoulder on the bone dry with kitchen paper so it browns rather than steams.
Step 2: Heat ½ cup extra virgin olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over a high heat. Add the lamb in a single layer, in two batches if needed, and fry for 10–12 minutes, turning, until well browned on every side.
12 min
Step 3: Add 1 onion, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper and stir for 3 minutes, until the onion softens.
3 min
Step 4: Pour in about 100 ml of 1 cup hot water, cover tightly and turn the heat to its lowest setting.
1 min
Step 5: Cook for 1½–1¾ hours, checking every 20 minutes and adding a little more of the water only if the bottom looks dry. The lamb is ready when it is very tender and almost falling from the bone.
100 min
Step 6: Uncover, raise the heat and let any liquid reduce for 3–4 minutes until you have a little thick, oily sauce. Squeeze over 1 lemon, shake the pan and serve.
4 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 640 kcal
Protein: 50 g
Carbs: 3 g
Fat: 47 g
Fibre: 0 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does tsigariasto take?: About 135 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it gluten free?: Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
What can I use instead of onion?: 2 shallots per onion.
What can I use instead of lemon?: Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).

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