For ➍500 g lamb neck, boneless*
sea salt
5 tbs olive oil
1 brown onion
6 golden shallots
2 cloves garlic, sliced
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbs dry oregano
25 cl white wine
200 g natural yogurt
1 tbs honey
1 fennel bulb
6 sprigs flat leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 160°C. Season lamb necks with salt.
Pour olive oil in a deep pot. Put on fire. Seal meat until golden brown on all sides.
Roughly chop onion and shallots. Add to pot with garlic, lemon zest, oregano and white wine.
Cover the lamb with the yogurt and drizzle with honey.
Cover with foil and cook in oven for 1½ hours.*
Once cooked, remove the lamb from the pot and allow to cool. Refrigerate for 1 h. Slice meat into thin strips. Grill strips on both sides (on a BBQ or in a grill pan), then serve.*
Strain the juices from the remaining onions in the pot and place onions in a bowl. Add finely sliced fennel and picked parsley leaves.
Season to taste, drizzle with oil and serve with lamb.
Spreading from the ancient Middle East, sheep was the primary livestock of ancient Greek civilization, for their meat, fleece, milk and wool. It played an important role in myths, like 'The golden fleece'. The god Hermes was believed to avert a pestilence from the city of of Tanagra by carrying a ram round the walls. Hermes Kriophoros (the ram bearer) was venerated in sculptures and paintings like this. The image was adopted by early Christians to represent Christ.
Read tip on cooking meat in the oven.
