Slow-cooked lamb with red pepper salsa

In Greece, it's traditional to break the Lent fast on Easter Sunday by feasting on lamb. And, it would be rude not to stick to tradition—especially when it can taste as good as this. 

This slow-cooked lamb dish is the second recipe in our series of three Greek Easter recipes from Helena Moursellas. Helena is a bestselling cookbook author and chef who, alongside her twin sister Vikki, is sharing her love for Greek food with the world. She blends culinary expertise with creativity and a deep appreciation for their Thessalonkian heritage to create delicious, accessible recipes. 

This lamb cooks for two and a half hours, making it tender enough to fall apart with a fork. It’s paired with a sweet, zingy roasted pepper salsa and topped with caperberries, which works deliciously with roast potatoes for a more hearty dinner or a rainbow of salad leaves for a lighter bite. Don’t forget the not-so-secret magic ingredient—Citizens of Soil Greek EVOO. 

The best part of this dish? “You can throw it into the oven and give yourself plenty of time to get ready for when your guests arrive!” says Helena. 

Win-win. 

Here's the method:

Feeds 4-6.

• Preheat the oven to 160°C.
• In a large bowl whisk together oil, dried oregano, fresh oregano, garlic, lemon zest and juice and 1 tablespoon of salt flakes.
• Pour marinade over the lamb shoulder and allow to marinate in the fridge overnight.
• The following day remove the lamb from the fridge an hour before and bring it to room temperature.
• Place the lamb shoulder in a large roasting tin.
• Scatter with oregano leaves and pour the stock into the pan. Season with salt flakes. Cover with a large piece of baking paper and tightly cover with foil.
• Roast for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
• Remove baking paper and foil and increase oven temperature to 190°C and cook for a further 2 hours, basting with liquid and juices every 15 minutes.
• Using two forks shred the lamb and discard the bones. Place peppers on a lined baking tray, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil.
• Roast the peppers for 50-55 minutes or until the skins have blistered and blackened.
• Remove the peppers from the oven, carefully place into a large glass bowl and cover tightly with cling wrap.
• Sit for 20 minutes, this allows the steam from the peppers to help lift the skin. Remove the peppers from the bowl and peel the skin away.
• Finley chop the roasted peppers and place them into a bowl along with the remaining ingredients, season with salt flakes and cracked pepper.
• To serve, drizzle the lamb shoulder with the roasted pepper salsa and caperberries.