Kleftiko - meat steak and vegetables, Greek-style
You'll notice there is no exemplary Greek kleftiko recipe, even when we were in Greece we got 3 different things in 3 different taverns in the same town. But at least, the recipe can be adjusted to tastes and likes and it will still have the Greek aromas, so it will still be delicious. The main rule for kleftiko is to use lamb, but... I've also tried combined with beef, pork, chicken. And there was another one with white cheese (telemea), but it didn't impress me much, I am going to experiment some more and I will let you know if I find anything of interest.
So, I'm going to show you a simple, unpretentious kleftiko recipe which you can adapt and switch the pork with the chicken, or the lamb with the pork/beef. I'd say that the only things that are obligatory are the potatoes, veggies and marinade. You can cook it in a deep Jena or ceramics baking dish, with a lid on - it's wonderful cooked this way, that's why I do it like this almost every time.
You can also bake the steak in the oven, wrapped in parchment paper, in individual pouches, and serve it like this. It will give a certain charm to it, it will be something out of the ordinary - but it's actually a simple steak with potatoes, packed with Greek flavours and served in an unconventional way.
As I mentioned in the ingrediets list, pick any meat you like, but choose fattier cuts, like - pork butt, shoulder lamb, beef, chicken thighs etc.
Cut meat into 2x2cm cubes.
Transfer to a bowl and add:
- minced garlic;
- roughly chopped onion;
- bell peppers cut into big pieces - I recommend choosing colourful ones, this way the food will look nicer;
- the juice from 1/2 lemon;
- olive oil and demi-sec white wine;
- 1 tsp oregano;
- 1 tbsp salt;
- 0.25 tsp ground pepper.
Combine well all the ingredients together with the meat, cover the bowl with a lid and refrigerate for 2 hours, so that it has enough time to marinate.
Meanwhile, don't forget to peel and wash the potatoes.
Now you can choose to cook all the food in a single baking dish or wrap each portion in parchment paper individual pouches.
I will show you the parchment paper method:
- cut 4-6 pieces of parchment paper, the size of a regular baking sheet;
- in the middle of each sheet of paper, place 1-2 medium-diced potatoes, sprikled over with oregano and salt;
- spoon over the potatoes 1/4 or 1/6 of the marinated meat and veggies;
- slice the tomatoes and place 2 slices on top;
- wrap in the parchment paper in the shape of a pouch, tie with kitchen string;
I made 4 pouches which I transfered to a regular baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven to 200 degrees C for 1 hour.
If you choose the other method, you simply transfer the marinated meat and vegetables to a deep baking dish. Top with tomato slices, cover with a lid and cook in the oven to 200 degrees C for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, unwrap the parchment paper and cook in the oven for another 20 minutes.
If you are using the baking dish method, just remove the lid and cook in the oven for 20 more minutes.
Serve while hot/warm, with some good olives and a classic Greek salad.
As for the pouches, I trimmed the edges and placed each one on a plate.
Enjoy!
