LAMB MEAT COOKED RECIPES

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6.
2. Peel and quarter the onions and garlic cloves, peel and roughly chop the carrots, trim and roughly chop the celery, and wash, trim and roughly chop the leek. Halve the fresh tomatoes.
3. Rub the lamb with oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and put it into a roasting tray. Using a sharp knife, make small incisions all over the lamb, then pick and poke rosemary leaves and quartered garlic cloves into each one.
4. Add the rest of the garlic cloves, the onions, carrots, celery, leeks and fresh tomatoes to the tray, then tuck the remaining herbs under the meat.
5. Pour the tinned tomatoes over the top, followed by the wine. Cover the tray tightly with a double layer of tin foil and place in the oven. Turn down the oven temperature to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and cook for 3½ to 4 hours, or until the lamb is soft, melting and sticky and you can pull it apart with a fork.
6. Gently break up the meat, pull out the bones, and extract any herb stalks. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and mush it in. Shred the lamb, check the seasoning and serve with some crispy roast potatoes.

Heat the oven to 190°C/gas 5. Place the potatoes, red pepper and tomato in a large, flameproof oven dish or tin and season with the salt and pepper. Put the leg of lamb on top and pour over the lemon juice and olive oil, then add the garlic halves to the dish. Sprinkle all over with the oregano. Pour the water into the dish and cover with foil, sealing the edges well to retain the moisture as it cooks. (A large enamelled, lidded, cast-iron pot, such as Le Creuset, would also be suitable to cook this in.)

Cook in the oven for 2½–2¾ hours until the meat is falling off the bone, adding a little more water, if necessary, halfway through to keep the vegetables moist. Remove the foil (or lid) and add the feta, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes. After this time, check the consistency of the juices. If the dish seems a little dry, add a little more water. If too dilute, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish and reduce down the liquid on the hob.

Serve the meat in chunks or thick slices with the vegetables and juices.