Μουούρι (Mouri) – Greek Stuffed whole lamb from Kalymnos. This is my Greek family traditional stuffed lamb That I make every year that was past down from my mother. Even now that I live in Australia. I had also cooked it for our family lunch on Xmas 1974 when cyclone Tracy hit! We had lost our home and all our belongings! Surprising though when my husband John after taking us to the shelter he come back to see if he could salvage any clothes for my children but come back to the shelter holding the tray with the fully cooked lamb which was still warm! So we all sheared it amongst all the people at the school!! The only thing that was standing from our home was some of our kitchen cupboards and the oven with the lamb fully cooked! I now not only make it as a family tradition but to remember how lucky we were to survive Tracy!

Ingredients

1 whole lamb, about 25 lbs.

2 – 3 lemons, halved

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Ground cinnamon

1 large can tomato paste

1 stick butter, room temperature

Stuffing:

500g of chicken liver or 

509g   liver, chopped

3 large onions, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic 

1 cup of olive oil

1 large tomato paste

4 cinnamon sticks

6 cups cal rose rice

8 cups water

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cinnamon

Extra tomato paste to rub lamb

Oregano or thrembi  

Large needle

Kitchen string

Begin the stuffing: brown chicken livers in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Stir in the butter, cinnamon sticks then add the tomato paste and stir well. Begin adding the water, one cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Let the mixture cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, clean lamb well inside and out (removing of course any organs left in the cavity); cut excess fat from around lamb; scrub skin well under water, then pat dry. 

Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees. Layer foil in an extra large roasting pan (I bought my giant aluminium pan from a restaurant depot), making sure the foil extends well over the sides of the pan to later fold over the lamb and “seal” it in. Place the cleaned lamb in the pan and rub the lamb well all over– inside and out– with the lemon halves. Salt and pepper cinnamon and oregano.  Let stand a couple of minutes. Rub with olive oil all over the out side of lamb, season well with salt,  pepper and ground cinnamon then smear the tomato paste all over the lamb as well. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the lamb. Using the needle and kitchen string, “sew” the cavity closed. Tie legs to fit in pan if necessary then fold the foil over the lamb to seal it in. Add about one-inch of water to the pan around the foil (not inside the lamb). Cover the entire roasting pan with additional foil then place in oven. Cook for one hour at 375 degrees, then reduce temp to 300 degrees and cook for 6 hours longer. Periodically check pan and add water as necessary. After six hours, turn oven off and leave pan in closed oven overnight (don’t open oven at all in the last 1 – 1 1/2 of cooking). (When you wake in the morning you will see that the lamb is still quite warm).

Begin reheating the lamb about 2 hours before guests arrive. Once heated through, unseal slice lamb and serve with plenty of stuffing.

Kali Orexi!