LAMB BAKED WITH PASTA (GREEK STYLE)

This is one of those dishes that i cannot believe i didn't actually get to eat in Greece but hey never to late to experiment and it was after all national roast day here in NZ. Thankfully lamb prices are dropping so we can once again enjoy this delicious meat.
I used a whole leg of lamb and about 3/4 packet of macaroni and i have enough to make a second meal tonight.  The children absolutely loved it as the lamb was caramelised on the outside and moist on the inside, the pasta puffs up whilst its soaking up all the deliciously rich lamb juices. 
I would suggest to serve it with something to cut the richness like perhaps a peppery green salad or crunchy green beans and a little tzatziki

LAMB BAKED WITH PASTA

1 Leg of lamb, on the bone
5 cloves of garlic
a small bunch of fresh mint (if in season)
2 onions,
2x400g tins of chopped or cherry tomatoes
75ml extra virgin olive oil
300g kritharaki, risoni or small macaroni
2 Tbsp dried oregano
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method
Preheat oven to 150C

With the tip of a sharp knife, make 6 or 7 quite deep holes on both sides of the meat.  Stuff these with small slivers of garlic, followed by an equal amount of salt and pepper.  Plug the holes with a couple of fresh mint leaves (if using) .  Season the meat all over with dried oregano, salt and pepper, you really need to massage the seasonings into the lamb as this will create a delicious start to your lamb.

Finely chop the onions and put them into a large roasting dish.  Add the tomatoes and 1 tin of water along with the oil and stir well.  Put the meat on top, and place in the oven.

Cook for 3 1/2 hours.  Keep adding water to the sauce to prevent it from drying out (but you don't want it watery).  If you like you can baste the lamb with spoonfuls of the sauce so that it forms a crust which is delicious.

When 30 minutes of cooking time is left, add a cup or two of water to the sauce and stir in the pasta.
Season with salt and pepper and return back to oven until the pasta is tender.  The pasta will expand and will absorb the liquid sauce, which in turn will  have absorbed all the juices from the meat.  Keep adding water and stirring every 5-10 minutes so that the pasta cooks evenly and stays moist and doesn't stick.