Mediterranean One-Dish Meal

I closed on a beautiful home in Hyde Park this week. The buyers — a young couple, first-timers — looked at the keys the way I looked at my real estate license in 2012: like they were holding the future in their hands.

Sunday dinner at Mama's was the usual controlled chaos. Mama made roasted chicken and it was, as always, extraordinary. The table held fourteen people. The arguments held more opinions than the chairs held bodies. This is how Greek families communicate: loudly, with food, over each other.

Some weeks are ordinary. This was an ordinary week. I sold houses. I cooked dinner. I called Mama. I drove to Tarpon Springs on Sunday. The extraordinary thing about ordinary weeks is that they are the ones you miss most when they are gone.

I braised a lamb shoulder in red wine and herbs for four hours until it surrendered at the touch of a fork. Served over mashed potatoes. We ate at the kitchen table, just the two of us, and for a moment the house was not quiet or loud — it was exactly right. Full. Fed. The sound of forks on plates is the sound I love most in this world.

The olive oil in my kitchen is from a Greek import shop in Tampa that sources from Kalamata. It is expensive. It is worth it. I use it on everything — salads, fish, bread, vegetables, the edge of a pot of soup — because olive oil is not a condiment in this family, it is a philosophy. Use it generously. Use it without apology. Use it the way you use love: poured freely, never measured, always more than you think you need.

The lamb shoulder I described — braised low and slow in red wine until it gave way at the touch of a fork — is not far from this Mediterranean one-dish meal that has become my quiet Sunday ritual. After a week of closings, chaos at Mama’s table, and the long drive back from Tarpon Springs, this is the recipe I reach for when it’s just the two of us and I want the house to feel full without much fuss. It asks for good olive oil — use the real kind, the expensive kind, the kind you’d be embarrassed to measure — and it gives back everything.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 4 hours | Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 1/2 to 3 lbs bone-in lamb shoulder, trimmed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken or beef broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for serving
Crumbled feta cheese, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and season. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Pat the lamb shoulder dry with paper towels and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
Sear the lamb. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb shoulder on all sides until deeply browned, about 3—4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Deglaze with wine. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the wine reduce by half, about 3 minutes.
Add braising liquid. Stir in the broth, diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, cumin, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Return the lamb to the pot, nestling it into the liquid. The liquid should come about halfway up the lamb.
Braise low and slow. Cover the Dutch oven tightly and transfer to the oven. Braise for 2 hours, turning the lamb once halfway through.
Add vegetables. After 2 hours, remove the pot from the oven. Tuck the potatoes and zucchini around the lamb and scatter the olives over the top. Cover and return to the oven for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the lamb is completely tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.
Rest and finish. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Let the lamb rest in the pot, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Using two forks, roughly shred the lamb into large pieces directly in the pot, letting it mingle with the vegetables and braising juices.
Serve. Ladle into shallow bowls, spoon plenty of the braising juices over the top, and finish with fresh parsley and crumbled feta if using. Serve with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mediterranean One-Dish Meal — The Lamb That Made the House Feel Full