Mom's Lamb Manestra

Manestra is the Greek term that can be used for a stew with orzo and tomatoes. This version is a one pot dish with lamb chops that you can serve directly from the pot with a big glass of red wine.

Recipe

Mama's Lamb Manestra (with Tomato Orzo)

Recipe adapted from Peinao cookbook by Helena and Vikki Moursellas. This recipe is from their mom!

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Servings: 2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 ¾ lb lamb chops or pork chops
• 4 Tb garlic infused olive oil or olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• ½ Tb Greek spice mix
• ½ ea onion diced
• 1 lb 4 oz tomato passata or pureed tomatoes
• 1 ¾ c boiling water
• 9 oz orzo
• salt and black pepper

Optional Garnish

• 2 oz Greek feta crumbled
• chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toss the lamb with 2 Tb oil, garlic, Greek spice mix, salt and pepper. Marinate up to 24 hours covered in the fridge. Remove from fridge 15-30 min before cooking to help the meat come to room temperature for better browning.
3. In a Dutch oven (at least 4 qt), heat the remaining 2 Tb oil to medium high heat until shimmering. Add the lamb chops in an even layer to the hot pan. Brown on each side for 2-3 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
4. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion to the pot. Add more oil if needed, if the pan is too dry. Saute the onion until softened, about 6-8 min. I sprinkle the onion with a little bit of salt to help release liquid.
5. Add the tomato passata to the pan along with the lamp chops and 1 c of boiling water. Season with salt.
6. Transfer pot to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes. The tomato sauce will reduce and the lamb chops will get tender.
7. Remove the pot from the oven. Add the orzo around the lamb along with the remaining ¾ c boiling water. Stir so that the orzo is submerged with liquid. Return to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Stir halfway through to make sure all the orzo is cooked through. Taste and add salt if needed.
8. Sprinkle with feta cheese and parsley to serve from the pot.

Notes

1. I tried this with lamb shoulder chops which is not the same as lamb chops. Lamb shoulder or leg takes much longer to cook.
2. Season with salt as you go, or season with salt at the end if you prefer to reduce the amount of salt in this dish. I prefer to season with each main ingredient addition.
3. They make whole wheat orzo, which I prefer to using regular orzo.
4. If you have leftovers, note that the orzo continues to expand and soak up the sauce just like regular pasta does too.

Wine Pairing

This one pot lamb stew would be wonderful with a Greek red wine. Since those are a bit harder to find, I paired this with an aged Petite Sirah from Stag's Leap Winery in Napa, CA.

2010 Stags' Leap Petite Sirah

Visual: Inky, blackish, deep purple

Aroma: Mineral, boysenberry, leather. Since this is a 2010 vintage consumed in 2024, the wine is not especially fruit forward.

Taste: 14 years later, there is still lots of freshness in this wine but also a lovely softness you might not associate with a big, red California wine. Tasted much better and fresher at cellar temp than room temp.

Pairing: Petit sirah typically pairs with big and bold flavors, spices, and herbs. The hefty, gamey lamb meat, spices, garlic, and tomato in this dish worked really well with this aged wine.