Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

1kg diced lamb meat of your choice (I used neck fillet). You can use boneless shoulder or leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and diced.

1 medium onion (about 150g), peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

3 Tbsp olive oil

100 ml white wine, optional

100g ripe and sweet tomatoes of your choice, roughly chopped (I used mini-San Marzano tomatoes)

If you cannot get hold of ripe and sweet tomatoes, you can use high quality tinned chopped tomatoes instead.

a sprig of fresh parsley, finely chopped

leaves from a small sprig of fresh rosemary (about 1 Tsp), very finely chopped or ¼ Tsp of dry rosemary

sea salt

black pepper

The word Peka, in Slovenian (also called črpinja) and in Croatian, refers to a large metal baking dish with a lid that resembles a bell-shaped dome but it is also a name given to the finished dish (lamb peka, octopus peka etc.) cooked with this very ancient method (in an open fireplace) and the oldest roasting technique which ensures the slow and even cooking as hot coals and embers are placed on top of the dome.

Any Peka type of recipe, traditionally, is usually for a large number of people, when family and friends come together to mark a special occasion. It is a very informal and rustic way of cooking, and yet, feels very special and celebratory. Various types of meats and poultry, as well as fish, octopus being the most popular choice, can be cooked this way, always paired with potatoes and vegetables to soak up the juices, preparation for which takes minimal effort but offers a spectacular one pot meal feast and an unforgettable experience.

Food prepared with the “peka method” recipe, typically found in Slovenian and Croatian Istria and along Dalmatian coast, will give you the finished dish that it is neither baked or cooked, but something in between, will be slightly crispy outside and very tender inside, it falls apart and almost melts in your mouth.

Most of you, including myself, as I currently live in England, will not have the possibility to make this dish with the authentic and traditional peka method, but where there is a will there is a way.

Here I am sharing with you the recipe for lamb peka in the oven, using a Dutch oven or cast iron casserole dish, even a baking tray and aluminium foil will do, that will give us the possibility to come as close as we can can to a “real deal lamb peka”, just as delicious and aromatic!

This is probably the easiest recipe for the “roast”, you can use chicken thighs, or smaller chunks of any other meat, lamb chops for example, in which case the cooking time will be between 1 -2 hours.

You really need to adjust the cooking time according to the type and size of the meat you are using.

Serve this dish hot, place the pot in the centre of the table and make sure there is plenty of crunchy bread to soak up the juices, prepare a mixed salad to accompany the dish, and you are ready to go.

Try this recipe, this is one of those dishes you will get a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs'!

Ingredients

Serves 6 people

2 – 2.5kg lamb meat (lamb shoulder with bone in or leg of lamb) For this recipe I used shoulder of lamb with the bone weighing 2.350kg.
1kg baby potatoes (or regular potatoes, peeled and quartered)
1 medium onion (about 150g) peeled and quartered (you can use red onion or shallots)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
carrots (about 150g) peeled and cut into chunks
small courgette (about 220g) cut into chunks
small aubergine (about 240g) quartered
small green pepper (about 130g) deseeded and quartered
fresh rosemary sprig
100ml white wine, optional
sea salt
black ground pepper

Method

Marinating the meat (optional)

Before making this dish you can marinate the meat the evening before for extra flavour (I always do it but this is not necessary).

Put the lamb in a container, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and with your hands rub the oil into the meat.

Season with sea salt and pepper and add 2 peeled cloves of garlic and some fresh herbs like rosemary and sage.

Close the lid, put in the fridge for a few hours or ideally overnight.

Take the meat out of the fridge and bring it to the room temperature at least an hour before cooking it.

Preheat the oven to 170C static or equivalent.

Prepare the vegetables, wash them, quarter them or cut them into bigger chunks (if you are using baby potatoes cut the bigger ones in half lengthwise).

Place the potatoes and roughly half of the vegetables in the Dutch oven, stick the fresh rosemary sprig in the middle of the potatoes and vegetables, season with sea salt and black pepper, pour white wine if using, and place the meat on the top.

Arrange the rest of the vegetables around the meat.

Close Dutch oven with the lid, or cover well with the aluminium foil if using a baking tray, put in the oven and bake for 4 hours until the meat becomes so tender it falls off the bone.

Turn the meat half way cooking time.

Remove the meat from the Dutch oven or baking tray, and wrap it into the aluminium foil to rest and keep warm.

While the lamb is resting, take a big spoon and scoop/spoon out the excessive fat.

Return the Dutch oven or baking tray back in the oven (without the lid or aluminium foil) and bake further for a few minutes allowing the potatoes to colour a bit and and liquids to dry.

Take the potatoes and the vegetables from the oven, unwrap the lamb, place it back in the Dutch oven, or tray, on top of the potatoes and vegetables.

Place the pot in the middle of the table and serve or let everyone help themselves.

Just a thought

You can play around with this recipe a bit, use the vegetables that you particularly like and adjust the quantity of the potatoes and the vegetables according to the size of a pot or a dish/tray you are using.

Wine suggestion

Alto Adige Cabernet Riserva DOC 2019 - Alois Lageder

Easy Lamb Casserole Istrian Recipe