By now I expect that you have noticed that I don’t cook any English food, have a passion for Tessa Kiros cookery books and have been very influenced by my Italian up bringing, well this recipe is no exception as it is a beautiful Cypriot dish from the lovely Tessa Kiros book, Falling Cloud Berries, I have cooked so many recipes from this book, time & time again and everyone has worked perfectly first time. I love cookery books like that.

This recipe I cooked for the first time on our return from the most amazing family holiday in Skopelos, it was so beautiful and inspire me to cook Greek & Cypriot food for weeks, even now a good Greek salad is usually served at least once a week in our house and I try to cook from this book as often as I can.

This dish is so simple to prepare and is warming and hearty, served with crusty bread to mop up the juices, you can not go wrong.

Tessa has a new book out in the Autumn and I can not wait until it is released and I can cook my way through it.

Καλή όρεξη (Enjoy your meal).

Tessa Kiros
Tava – Serves 6
2 red onions, roughly chopped
1.2kg potatoes, cut into large chunks
1kg lamb, also in chunks
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
125ml olive oil
4/5 ripe tomatoes, cut into thick slices
50g butter

Preheat your oven to 180c, 350f, gas 4.

Put the onion, potato and lamb in a 5 litre casserole dish or deep baking dish. Season with salt & pepper.

lamb

Add the parsley, cumin and olive oil and mix through very well with your hands.

Put the tomato slices on top in a single layer and season lightly with salt. Dot the butter over the top and pour about 125ml of water around the sides of the dish.

tomatoes

Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours, tilting the dish from side to side a couple of times and spooning some of the pan juices over the top. The lamb should be very tender and the potatoes soft.

Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 200c, 400f, gas 6 and cook for another 45 minutes or so, turning the lamb halfway through, or until the meat and potatoes are a little browned and the liquid has reduced.

This recipe is a great one pot dish, I hope you love it as much as I do.