TASTY MEATS: GRECA'S LAMB SHOULDER

TASTY MEATS: OVEN BAKED LAMB SHOULDER
GRECA | HOWARD SMITH WHARVES
See full story at raremediummag.com
Taking pride of place on the bustling Howard Smith Wharves precinct, Greca has cemented itself as one of Brisbane’s best loved restaurants and is constantly heaving with hungry diners keen to explore its modern Greek menu.
Greca is the sister restaurant to the Apollo in Sydney, part of chef and restauranteur Jonathan Barthelmess suite of venues in the Apollo Group. Group Development Chef Oscar Solomon has eight years under his belt with the group, having started his apprenticeship at the Apollo, and now splits his time between Sydney and Brisbane.
For Solomon, lamb shoulder is the dish that people want to eat when they head to a Greek restaurant - and with rave reviews in both Sydney and Brisbane, the Apollo or Greca are certainly the place to experience it.
Square cut lamb shoulder is rubbed with a house-made spice rub then placed in a tray with tomatoes, dried spices, bay leaf, thyme and cinnamon. Chicken stock and lemon juice are added then it is covered and cooked for 12 hours on very low heat. The next day, the lamb is removed, and the liquid strained off and turned into a lamb reduction. To serve, the shoulder is re-roasted for crispy skin and served with a big dollop of greek yoghurt tzatziki, lemon juice and olive oil.
“This lamb shoulder dish exists in two cities, at our sister restaurant the Apollo and here at Greca. I don’t think our restaurants would exist without it - it’s pretty much the cornerstone of the whole restaurant,” Solomon said.