Welcome to The Sauce, deep travels through food and drink culture written by me, Charlie Brown, founder and former owner of what was once named Britain’s best independent wine store.
The Sauce is 100% reader-supported. For $5 a month or $50 a year, you’ll get access to hundreds of recipes and an ever-increasing number of food and wine commentaries and articles, as well as discounts on my remote wine consulting service.
I’ll teach you how to cook better. How to buy better drinks. How to cope with wine culture when it threatens to overwhelm you.
Your donation keeps the oven on and the pantry stocked. Thank you.
If you ask me, too many stews - especially from where I’m from in Britain - are too heavy. The sauces are thick and unctuous, there’s no acid to cut through and after a couple of bites, you’re done.
Enter Kleftiko.
This is a Greek stew typically made with lamb, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, lemons and white wine. In other words, allllll the acid.
Of course, this is The Capsule Pantry so you can think beyond lamb - I made this with chicken thighs last week and I’ve been known to make it with just the vegetables.
Everything is cooked down for at least an hour and a half or ideally longer, especially if you’re using a slow-cook cut of meat. The recipe I’ve used and adapted also calls for feta cheese to be added towards the end of the cooking time which is a revelation.
The result is a bright, light, fresh stew that of course, suits the heat of the Greek sun (but I can also vouch works in 40F British weather with rain lashing down outside).
Serves 4 with leftovers
Half a lamb leg (bone in)