Recipes

Alan's Kleftiko

I have used variations of this recipe for many years, including one in a potjie.

Although this recipe can be used with any lamb roast, I prefer using lamb shank.

Ingredients

• 1 lamb shank
• ½ cup mutton stock (or beer, or red wine)
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 sliced tomato
• 1 sliced leek
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp rosemary
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp oreganum
• ½ tsp whole cumin
• ¼ tsp chilli powder

Method

Sprinkle the ginger and coriander over the shank and rub it in well.

Place a sheet of foil, large enough to wrap around the shank, on a large plate with raised edges so as to form a shallow bowl.

Place onions on the foil in the shape of the shank, then place the shank on top of these onions.

Place the rest of the onions on top of the shank and on the foil around the shank.

Place the tomatoes on top of the onions on the shank and the rest on the foil around the shank.

Add the leeks around the shank.

Add the rosemary, thyme, oreganum, cumin and chilli powder to the stock and stir.

Carefully pour the stock into the foil "bowl".

Fold the short sides of the foil towards the centre and roll the edges over to form a seal. Fold the long sides towards the centre and roll the edges, again to form a seal. You can add a second layer of foil around the parcel for protection against the foil tearing.

Roast in either a closed gas braai or an oven at about 180°C for 2 to 2½ hours.

Enjoy!

Alternative to the foil parcel

Foil can sometimes be very finnicky as it tears so easily. Such a tear can cause the stock to leak out, and the stock is an important part of the cooking process. An alternative is to use a glass loaf dish.

This method gave us the chance to add quartered potatoes around the shank — like the shank, these were delicious.

(30 March 2026)

Recipes