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Shallow bowl of creamy Cretan gamopilafo topped with pulled lamb, grated cheese and a lemon wedge on a wooden table

Gamopilafo: Cretan Wedding Rice with Simmered Lamb

Bone-in lamb simmers into a broth, then short-grain rice cooks in it until creamy. Butter, lemon and grated cheese finish the dish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 736
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the lamb broth
  • 900 g bone-in lamb shoulder cut into 6 to 8 pieces
  • 2 l water
  • 1 onion large; peeled and quartered
  • 1 carrot peeled and halved
  • 1 celery stalk cut in half
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 black peppercorns
  • 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
For the rice
  • 400 g short-grain rice (about 2 cups); Carolina or arborio, do not rinse
  • 1.4 l strained lamb broth from above
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 2 fresh lemon juice to 3 tbsp; about 1 large lemon
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 60 g mizithra or graviera grated, for serving
  • 6 lemon wedges for serving

Method
 

Make the broth
  1. Put the lamb, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns and 1 1/2 tsp salt in a 6-quart / 5.7 L pot, about 24 cm / 9.5 inch wide. Pour in the 2 L water and bring to a boil over high heat, about 10 minutes. Skim off the gray foam with a spoon for the first 5 minutes.
  2. Turn the heat to low so the water barely bubbles, then partly cover the pot. Simmer for 90 minutes, until the lamb pulls away from the bone easily when you press it with a fork.
  3. Lift the lamb out onto a plate. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or jug and discard the vegetables, bay leaves and peppercorns. Measure the broth, you need 1.4 L, so top up with hot water if you're short. Pull the meat off the bones in large chunks, discard the bones and any big pieces of fat, and cover the lamb with foil. This takes about 10 minutes.
Cook the rice
  1. Pour the 1.4 L broth into a 4-quart / 3.8 L wide pot, about 26 cm / 10 inch, and bring it to a gentle boil. Add the rice and stir well. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, until the rice is soft and the mixture looks like a thick, loose risotto. Start tasting at 16 minutes, because the rice goes from creamy to gluey fast.
  2. Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the butter, 2 tbsp lemon juice and the pepper. Taste, then add the third tablespoon of lemon juice or more salt if it needs it. Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes. If it looks too thick, stir in a splash of hot water.
  3. Spoon the rice into warm bowls and top each with pieces of lamb. Sprinkle with the grated mizithra or graviera and serve with a lemon wedge.

Notes

  • Rest the rice for 5 minutes off the heat so it thickens to a creamy texture.
  • Measure the strained broth, you need 1.4 L for 400 g of rice.
  • Skim the surface foam early for a clear, clean-tasting broth.
  • Add salt at the end, after tasting, since the cheese is salty.