Late last March, I wrote about cooking lamb racks. It seemed the right time to do it — I thought (and I’m not alone) lamb is a spring thing, and spring is when it’s at its best.
After that article appeared, I received a note from Lorraine Buchanan who, along with her husband John, operates Parry Bay Sheep Farm in Metchosin. Lorraine thanked me for the recipes and then shared these thoughts.
“I’ve always wondered why lamb is such a spring thing here, when it is completely the off-season for production of lamb in North America. ‘Spring’ lamb that is promoted here is actually mostly New Zealand and Australia’s ‘fall’ lamb,” Buchanan explained.
She added that, because many of us have grown up eating lamb from those faraway places, spring is when we think lamb tastes the best. But Buchanan says her lambs are born in spring and become most plentiful as meat in the marketplace in late summer and the fall.
Late fall is actually a great time to cook lamb, particularly as comfort food or spicier fare — approaches I have used in today’s column.
One of my offerings is Provence-style lamb stew, rich with wine, herbs and mustard. It’s quite wonderful and perfect for a cold, rainy night.
When searing the meat for the stew, don’t overcrowd the pieces in the pot. If you do, moisture seeping from the meat won’t have room to evaporate and will start to accumulate at the bottom of the pot. That in turn will cause the meat to boil and steam, rather than richly sear.
My other comfort-food lamb recipe is braised lamb shoulder chops. This dish for two is flavoured Greek-style. To make the chops, they are first floured and then seared on the stovetop. They then go in a casserole with some stock and flavourings, such as lemon, oregano and garlic.
Into the oven the casserole goes and the lamb is cooked until tender and succulent. Serve the lamb with some mini boiled potatoes and some vegetables — perhaps carrots and beans — and you’ll have a fine supper.
My last recipe is a spicier one that involves ground lamb flavoured with curry powder, ginger, lime juice and other bold flavours. The meat is then shaped into patties, grilled and stuffed in burger buns with lettuce, chutney and tangy yogurt.
It’s a tasty burger and a very filling one, but I still managed to enjoy a nice cold beer with it.
Vancouver Island lamb is available at stand-alone butcher shops and some grocery stores. You can also buy it directly from some farms, such as the Buchanans’. To learn how to purchase lamb from Parry Bay Sheep Farm, go to parrybaysheepfarm.com and click on retail.
Provence-style Lamb Stew
This hearty stew is rich with wine, garlic, mustard and other tasty things. Serve on a rainy night over mashed potatoes or eggs noodles.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About 1 hour and 45 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
3 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 lb. cubed lamb stew meat, patted dry (see Note)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large onion, diced
1/2 lb. petit button mushrooms (see Note)
1 large carrot, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp herbes de Provence
2 cups rich and tasty red wine
1 3/4 cups low sodium beef stock
2 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot set over medium-high. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and sear, cooking a few cubes at a time, until nicely browned. Transfer seared lamb to a bowl as you go along.
Add the onions, mushrooms and carrot to the pot you cooked the lamb in. Cook them until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the flour, garlic, tomato paste and herbes de Provence and cook 2 minutes.
While stirring, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the wine. Bring to a simmer and when the mixture is thick, slowly stir in remaining wine. Add the stock, mustard and bay leaves, bring to a simmer, and mix the lamb back into the pot.
Cover and cook the stew in the oven 90 minutes or until lamb is tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and serve.
Notes: If lamb stew meat is unavailable at your butcher shop or grocery store, ask if they can cut some for you. Or, buy a piece of lamb leg, or some lamb steaks, and cut your own.
Petit button mushrooms are small (about 1/2 to 1 inch wide), bite-sized, white mushrooms sold in tubs at some supermarkets. If you can’t find them, use an equal weight of regular white mushrooms and quarter them before using. Herbes de Provence is a French-style blend sold in bottles in the herb aisle of many supermarkets.
Curry-spiced Lamb Burgers with Chutney
Curry powder, garlic, ginger and lime flavour these lamb burgers richly accented with mango chutney and yogurt.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 8 to 10 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
1 1/3 lb. ground lamb
2 tsp mild or medium curry powder
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro
1 medium to large garlic clove, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
• vegetable oil for the grill
4 hamburger buns, split and warmed
4 lettuce leaves
• mango chutney and plain yogurt, to taste
4 slices white or red onion
Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to medium, medium-high. Place lamb, curry powder, green onion, mint or cilantro, garlic, ginger, lime juice, salt, egg and bread crumbs in a bowl and mix to combine. With your hands lightly dampened with cold water, shape meat into four patties, each about 3/4-inch thick.
Lightly oil the bars of your grill. Set on the patties and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side or until entirely cooked through and the centre of each burger reaches 160 F on an instant read meat thermometer.
Spread bottom buns with a little yogurt. Set a lettuce leaf on each bottom bun. Now set on the lamb burgers. Top lamb with onion slice, chutney and a dab of yogurt. Set on top buns and enjoy.
Greek-style Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops for Two
Lemon, oregano, mint and garlic combine to give these succulent chops a Greek flavour.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 75 to 85 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 (8 oz./250 gram) lamb shoulder chops
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup low sodium beef stock
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Season the lamb with salt and pepper; coat in the flour, shaking off excess. Set the chops in the skillet and deeply brown on both sides. Transfer to a casserole just large to hold the lamb in a single layer, with a bit of space between the chops.
Drain excess fat from the skillet then add the stock, lemon juice, oregano, paprika and garlic, and bring to simmer. Pour mixture over the lamb. Cover and bake 65 to 75 minutes, or until the lamb is very tender.
Set a lamb chop on each of two plates, spoon over pan juices, sprinkle with mint and enjoy.
Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear Wednesday and Sunday.
