Kleftiko literally is translated from Greek as ""stolen meat"". The legend says, as if the dish came to us since occupation of Greece by the Ottoman Empire, hungry Greeks got in the illegal way meat, covered with salt and spicery and dug in it to the earth, and from above made fire that it was baked.
When the danger to be caught receded, meat was dug out and eaten. Thanks to long languor, meat turned out incredibly gentle and soft.
Other version of origin of this dish sounds so: as if the Greek shepherds imperceptibly stole a lamb, pickled and dug in a baking plate a fire that the owner of herd didn't find loss. Said to the owner as if the lamb was bitten to death by a wolf or other wild animal.
Now the technology of preparation of a dish underwent changes - vegetables and feta cheese were added to meat, and for roasting the dish shouldn't be dug in anywhere. Traditionally клефтико in the Greek taverns prepares in the furnace, but in house conditions also the usual oven will descend.
There are possibilities of preparation from various meat: ламб клефтико is cooked from mutton, котопуло клефтико - from meat of chicken.
On ламб клефтико for 4 portions it will be necessary for you:
- mutton - 1 kg (it is possible to take only pulp, it is possible on a stone, or ribs - who that loves)
- potatoes - 4-5 average tubers
- carrots - 2 pieces
- feta cheese or a fetaksa - 100 grams
- olive oil - two tablespoons
- spices and salt to taste
Way of preparation
Wash out, dry up meat a towel and cut with large pieces, size about a palm. Clean, cut potatoes on 4-6 parts, carrots to clean and cut thick circles. Put all ingredients in one ware, season and to salt a little (better to leave a dish a little salted insufficiently since salty feta cheese will be added to it), to pour some olive oil and to mix. Surely cut ingredients large pieces, otherwise instead of клефтико porridge will turn out.
Further we take a foil, we put in several layers, we form 4 sacks. To put meat and vegetables in each sack, evenly distributing products. To put from above on a piece of feta cheese, to densely tie sacks, to put on a baking tray and to send to the oven warmed up to 200 °C. At such temperature the dish is cooked half an hour. Then it is necessary to pour water of room temperature on a baking tray, to lower temperature in an oven to 150 °C and to prepare 2 more hours, adding water that it wasn't evaporated, otherwise sacks tightly will burn to a baking sheet.
The dish can be served independently with red dry or domestic wine.