Tonia Buxton, @toniabuxton, is a highly regarded celebrity chef, renowned for her expertise in Mediterranean cuisine and her vibrant personality. With a passion for healthy eating and a wealth of culinary knowledge, she has carved her niche in the food industry through her television appearances & award winning TV shows for the Discovery Channel, My Greek Kitchen 1 & 2 and My Cypriot Kitchen, which have been aired in over 30 countries globally also her cookbooks, and advocacy for nutritious, delicious meals. Tonia's infectious enthusiasm for cooking, combined with her Greek-Cypriot heritage, has brought a unique flair to her approach to food, making her a beloved figure among food enthusiasts and fans alike.
Find the recipe in her cook book: The Real Greek
"My recipe serves 8:
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions finely sliced
150g chopped dates
1 bone butterflied leg of lamb
4 cloves of garlic finely sliced
4 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
125g sundried tomatoes
Sea Salt
Ground fresh black pepper
Thin sliced, crisp roasted potatoes to serve
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Fry the onions and chopped dates for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic, parsley and spices and cook for a further minute.
Open the lamb out onto a board and spoon the date mixture down the centre. Top with a layer of sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper
Wrap the lamb around the stuffing and secure firmly with string. Transfer to a roasting dish.
Whisk together the red wine and tomato puree, pour over the lamb. Cover with foil and cook in a preheated oven at 180 degrees, Gas 4 for 2 hours.
Remove the foil, add a little extra red wine or water to the roasting dish if required and scatter in the whole dates. Return to the oven for a further 20 mins.
Serve the lamb in thick slices on a bed of thinly sliced crisp roasted potatoes with the rich pan juices spooned alongside.