Lamb with dates and Cretan Graviera PDO 7 month Matured

INGREDIENTS

1,700gr. leg of lamb - without the bone - cut in pieces

550gr dates without pith

250gr Cretan Graviera PDO 7 month Matured Kalogeraki cut in small pieces

For the marinade:

2 cups red wine

1 table spoon pepper grains

1 garlic clove grated

2-3 twigs fresh rosemary

1 cinammon stick

dates finely chopped, 12 pieces from the 550gr

1  big onion finely grated

2 table spoons extra virgin olive oil

 

IMPLEMENTATION

Add the lamb in a bowl with all the ingredients of the marinade and massage the meat with hands.

Cover the bowl with a membrane and set aside for 1 hour or you may prepare the marinade from the previous day and have it ready.

Saute the lamb in a pan with a bit of olive oil (after you have dried it with a paper towel and kept the marinade aside for later). Saute all sides of the lamb and put it in a cooking pot with lid for use in oven (gastra).

Salt and pepper the lamb and add the marinade in the cooking pot.

Wet a greaseproof paper crinkle it and cover the lamb. Cover it with the lid of the cooking pot and bake for 1 hour in 190C.

Then take off the greaseproof paper, turn the lamb upside down cover again with the lid and bake for another half an hour.

In the meantime, incise the dated verticaly and stuff them with a piece of Cretan Graviera PDO 7 month Matured Kalogeraki.

Uncover the cooking pot and continue baking withou the lid to allow the sauce get thicker and the lamb to get color.

The last 10 minutes add the dates with graviera and bake all together to allow the melting of the cheese.

Serve hot & enjoy!