I am a huge fan of Total Greek Yogurt. High in protein and low in fat, I find it the perfect replacement for cream, mayo and creme fresh in my kitchen. Plus is damn tasty!!
As part of their ongoing work to get us all cooking and eating better Total have recruited Greek Cookery Writer and Chef Tonia Buxton to create some great Greek recipes for us all to try at home.
First off we tried Tonia’s Lamb Youvesti recipe. I knew it would be well received by little family, but I never imagined it to go down quite so well. I made it for them 6 days ago and it’s been requested for dinner 4 times already since then.
Even as a non meat-eater (it’s not that I am a veggie, it’s just a case of I don’t really like the taste/texture of many meat dishes) I did find this meal very tasty. I couldn’t eat much as my body isn’t used to meat so it fills me up real quick, but the flavors were amazing. The rich tomato sauce, mixed with the warming cinnamon flavors and creaminess of the Total yogurt, made for a warming wholesome family meal that I’m sure is to be a favorite for many years to come.
Is also a great ’1-pot’ dish which, even though it takes a good few hours to cook, really takes care of itself. Perfect for busy Mums like me.
Cook Time: 1-3 hours
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 50g TOTAL Greek Yoghurt (plus 500g for serving)
- 5-9 tablespoons olive oil
- 800g shoulder of lamb trimmed & cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 3 red onions, finely chopped
- Salt & pepper to season
- 4 sticks of cinnamon bark 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 400g orzo pasta
- 4-6 tbsp grated halloumi
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Heat the oil in a heavy casserole dish and fry the lamb until it is sealed and golden on all sides.
- Remove the lamb from the dish and add a little more oil. Add the onions and constantly stir until they start to turn golden then add the garlic.
- Add the whole tomatoes in their juice and crush them with a spoon.
- Season with salt and pepper and add the cinnamon.
- Cover and bake for no less than an hour.
- Add the pasta and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Add more water if it looks a bit dry.
- 5 minutes before you serve, add the cheese and stir, then put back into the oven.
- Stir in 50g of Greek yoghurt, and serve with some extra dollops.
If you are not going to serve the Youvesti straight away take the casserole out of the oven before the pasta is totally cooked as the heat from the dish will keep cooking it. If you don’t it may become too soft.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: 1006-671 Calories / 70-46.7g Protein / 41.8-28g Fat / 16-11g Saturated Fat / 87-58g Carbohydrates / 17-11g Sugars / 7.4-5g Fibre / 1.2-0.8g Salt
Disclaimer – I was sent the ingredients to make this dish thanks to Total Greek, however the views expressed and hungry family are all my own.
