"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> > In article >, Boron Elgar
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> Early in the spring I had written to a local farm that raises lambs
> >> to reserve one for the fall, as they are ready for market near the
> >> end of October. I never heard back and forgot about it altogether.
> >>
> >> Yesterday I got an email asking me to confirm my reservation and tell
> >> them how I want the lamb cut. OH BOY!
> >>
> >> This will be a lovely fall with legs, rack, shoulder chops, shanks
> >> and stew meat. I am quite jazzed! The freezer needed cleaning out
> >> anyway.
> >>
> >> Yum!
> >>
> >> Boron
> >
> > She scores!! Good on you. I've never cooked lamb in my life. I
> > had a shank a couple weeks ago at a fabulous restaurant in St. Cloud
> > (story on my website - Cafe Renaissance). I'm scared to cook it.
>
> Lamb is wonderful! Can't believe you're afraid of it I first tasted
> lamb (kabobs) when I went on a date in 1976 at some French place in
midtown,
> Memphis. The server gently suggested I might like it prepared
medium-rare.
> How right he was!
>
> Since then I have prepared lamb loin chops (the shoulder chops are too
> costly for what little bit you get); and lamb shanks, but never a whole
leg
> of lamb. No need for that much meat here nor the freezer space.
>
> The shanks are great, like big turkey drumsticks, except, well... it's
lamb.

<Snip tasty sounding recipe!>

I must agree about the shanks - one of my favourite cuts, especially when
cooked really long and slow in wine etc. (red wine my favourite) so that
even the slightest knock while serving it up has all the meat fall off the
bone! First time I had it like that they called it 'Lamb Pullman', likely
their own naming.

This recipe sounds good to me too, although unless these are very small
shanks, the 1 1/4 hours doesn't seem quite long enough to me:

Slow-cooked lamb with gratin of white beans

4 large cloves of garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
Olive oil
6 lamb shanks, french trimmed
250ml dry white wine
1½ cups chicken stock
Gratin of white beans
300g (1½ cups) dried white beans, soaked in cold water overnight, then
drained
2 dried bay leaves
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
250ml (1 cup) beef stock
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
140g (2 cups) day-old breadcrumbs
30g butter, melted



Method

Combine garlic, cumin and fennel seeds, thyme and a good pinch of salt
in a mortar and pound with a pestle until a paste forms, then stir in 1
tablespoon olive oil. Using a small sharp knife, make small incisions in
lamb and push half the paste mixture into the incisions, then rub the
remaining mixture over lamb. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, then bring
to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-based casserole and brown
lamb, in batches, over medium heat. Remove lamb from pan and add wine and
stock to pan and bring to the boil, stirring to remove any pieces stuck to
bottom of pan. Return lamb to pan, cover and cook at 160C for 1¼ hours or
until lamb is very tender. Remove lamb from pan, skim fat from surface of
cooking liquid, reduce cooking liquid, if necessary, to a good sauce
consistency, then season to taste. Return lamb to pan and gently heat
through.
Meanwhile for gratin of white beans, add drained beans and bay leaves
to a saucepan of simmering water and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes or
until beans are just cooked. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan
and cook onion over low heat until soft, add garlic, tomatoes and stock and
cook over high heat until stock is reduced by half. Season to taste and stir
in parsley and beans. Place bean mixture into a 6-cup capacity ceramic
ovenproof dish. Toss breadcrumbs with melted butter and spoon over beans.
Stand for 30 minutes, to allow flavours to develop, then bake at 160C for 30
minutes or until crust is browned. Serve lamb with gratin of white beans
with pan juices drizzled over.

__________

This talk of lamb is having me want to make a lamb shank and red wine dish
this w/e now... hmmm...!

',;~}~


Shaun aRe

Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> (Victor Sack) wrote:
>
> > Chanakhi
> > Lamb and Vegetables baked in an Earthenware Casserole
>
> Sorry, Sweetpea, but I don't see much hope for this dish from my
> kitchen.

What a shame! :-(

> 1) I don't have an unglazed eathernware casserole; 2) Rob
> hates cilantro; 3) he won't eat eggplant, either. :-0(

Divorce him at once!

> Sounds
> pretty good to me, though. What do you recommend as a substitute for an
> unglazed earthenware casserole with a tight-fitting lid?

1) For most any other dish, substitute any other oven-proof casserole.
For chanakhi, though, nothing but a clay pot would suffice, even if only
because the dish is named after just such a pot... 2) For cilantro
substitute parsley (which is already present in the dish), as well as
basil; 3) for eggplant there is no adequate substitute, but try some
kind of pumpkin or squash... at least the texture will be somewhat
similar... or leave it out altogether... :-(

Earthenware pots are some of the very best vessels for the stew type of
dishes available - and the most ancient kinds of such vessels, too. It
is worth owning at least one - it will open up one's horizons in more
than one direction... You could make, for example, Alsatian baeckeofe
which is traditionally cooked in a clay pot. Most recipes call for
mixed meat, but lamb (for example shoulder) only can be used, too. No
cilantro or eggplant in the dish.

Bubba

In article >, cathyxyz
> wrote:
(snippage)
> >
> > Can't tell the tone there. It's fun, that's all. Famous I've got
> > covered. I'm still waiting for rich.
>
> Sorry, forgot the smiley.... Well, when the *rich* part comes along I
> hope you will share with your friends?


In the words of a famous local radio personality: "Get your own show!"
--
-Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> Updated 9-26-05

Just sharing my stepmama's wonderful lamb stew recipe. What is nice
about it is that it can be prepared the day before, and you know how
things like this only improve when eaten the next day.
Lovely lovely stuff

* Exported from MasterCook *

Spring Lamb Ragout

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups & Stews Lamb

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 large onions -- chopped
6 cloves garlic -- chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
5 pounds lamb stew meat -- 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour
4 tomatoes -- peeled, seeded, chop
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary -- or 2 tsp. dried
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme -- crumbled
2 bay leaves
5 tablespoons butter
12 ounces mushrooms -- sliced
9 ounces frozen artichoke hearts -- thawed and quartered
3 small zucchini -- 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup kalamata or black olives
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Position oven rack in lower 1/3 of oven and heat to 350 degrees.
Heat 2 T. oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and
garlic. Cook til soft and translucent.
Sprinkle with sugar and cook till lightly browned- about 5 minutes.
Transfer to bowl and set aside.
Add 4 T. oil to same pan and heat over medium heat. Season lamb with
salt and pepper, dredge in flour.
Add lamb to pot (in batches if necessary) and cook till brown. About 6
min. Add any extra flour to the pan and stir one minute.
Add onion-garlic mixture, tomatoes, both stocks, wine, rosemary, tomatoe
paste, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Bake in oven till lamb tender, about 65 min.
Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add mushrooms and saute till golden. About
8 min.
Add artichockes and zucchini and saute till tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir into Stew.
*Can be prepared 1 day in advance and reheated over medium heat)
Mix in olives and garnish with parsley.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

One time on Usenet, Goomba38 > said:

> Just sharing my stepmama's wonderful lamb stew recipe. What is nice
> about it is that it can be prepared the day before, and you know how
> things like this only improve when eaten the next day.
> Lovely lovely stuff
>
> * Exported from MasterCook *
>
> Spring Lamb Ragout

<snip>

Oh, that does sound lovely! I've only had lamb once -- a gamey
tasting leg of lamb at a friend's house -- but I've been reassurred
that it's usually pretty good. I've seen lamb stew meat at my local
stupidmarket and wondered what one could do with it. This would make
a nice dinner, and lots of leftovers for Miguel's lunch (he won't
eat sammiches). Thanks for sharing... :-)


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollup, novice cook ~

One time on Usenet, Wayne Boatwright > said:
> On Thu 29 Sep 2005 09:55:54p, S'mee wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
> > One time on Usenet, Goomba38 > said:
> >
> >> Just sharing my stepmama's wonderful lamb stew recipe. What is nice
> >> about it is that it can be prepared the day before, and you know how
> >> things like this only improve when eaten the next day.
> >> Lovely lovely stuff
> >>
> >> * Exported from MasterCook *
> >>
> >> Spring Lamb Ragout
> >
> > <snip>
> >
> > Oh, that does sound lovely! I've only had lamb once -- a gamey
> > tasting leg of lamb at a friend's house -- but I've been reassurred
> > that it's usually pretty good. I've seen lamb stew meat at my local
> > stupidmarket and wondered what one could do with it. This would make
> > a nice dinner, and lots of leftovers for Miguel's lunch (he won't
> > eat sammiches). Thanks for sharing... :-)
>
> You might find lamb stew meat stronger flavored and perhaps more gamey than
> some other cuts. Lamb chops or rack of lamb usually have a much more
> delicate flavor. One of my favorites is lamb shanks. They work
> beautifully in braised dishes.

Thanks for the tip, Wayne -- I'll keep this in mind. I grew up on
wild meat (venison, moose, game birds), so a little gaminess (sp?)
isn't bad, if not my favorite. But that leg of lamb was just nasty...


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollup, novice cook ~

On Thu 29 Sep 2005 09:55:54p, S'mee wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> One time on Usenet, Goomba38 > said:
>
>> Just sharing my stepmama's wonderful lamb stew recipe. What is nice
>> about it is that it can be prepared the day before, and you know how
>> things like this only improve when eaten the next day.
>> Lovely lovely stuff
>>
>> * Exported from MasterCook *
>>
>> Spring Lamb Ragout
>
> <snip>
>
> Oh, that does sound lovely! I've only had lamb once -- a gamey
> tasting leg of lamb at a friend's house -- but I've been reassurred
> that it's usually pretty good. I've seen lamb stew meat at my local
> stupidmarket and wondered what one could do with it. This would make
> a nice dinner, and lots of leftovers for Miguel's lunch (he won't
> eat sammiches). Thanks for sharing... :-)

You might find lamb stew meat stronger flavored and perhaps more gamey than
some other cuts. Lamb chops or rack of lamb usually have a much more
delicate flavor. One of my favorites is lamb shanks. They work
beautifully in braised dishes.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

On Thu 29 Sep 2005 10:19:40p, S'mee wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> One time on Usenet, Wayne Boatwright > said:
>> On Thu 29 Sep 2005 09:55:54p, S'mee wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>
>> > One time on Usenet, Goomba38 > said:
>> >
>> >> Just sharing my stepmama's wonderful lamb stew recipe. What is nice
>> >> about it is that it can be prepared the day before, and you know how
>> >> things like this only improve when eaten the next day.
>> >> Lovely lovely stuff
>> >>
>> >> * Exported from MasterCook *
>> >>
>> >> Spring Lamb Ragout
>> >
>> > <snip>
>> >
>> > Oh, that does sound lovely! I've only had lamb once -- a gamey
>> > tasting leg of lamb at a friend's house -- but I've been reassurred
>> > that it's usually pretty good. I've seen lamb stew meat at my local
>> > stupidmarket and wondered what one could do with it. This would make
>> > a nice dinner, and lots of leftovers for Miguel's lunch (he won't
>> > eat sammiches). Thanks for sharing... :-)
>>
>> You might find lamb stew meat stronger flavored and perhaps more gamey
>> than some other cuts. Lamb chops or rack of lamb usually have a much
>> more delicate flavor. One of my favorites is lamb shanks. They work
>> beautifully in braised dishes.
>
> Thanks for the tip, Wayne -- I'll keep this in mind. I grew up on
> wild meat (venison, moose, game birds), so a little gaminess (sp?)
> isn't bad, if not my favorite. But that leg of lamb was just nasty...

The leg might have been from an older lamb. My uncle used to cook the most
delicious leg of lamb I've ever tasted, but he maintained that it had to be
"Spring" lamb (read young). Also, if the "fell" hasn't been completely
removed, it will give a very strong nasty flavor to the meat. This is a
good article:

http://tinyurl.com/8l6fs

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:48:02 GMT, "Ms Leebee"
> wrote:

>Kathy in NZ wrote:

>> Mary had a little lamb
>> Her little lamb was dead
>> It followed her to school one day
>> Between two hunks of bread
>
>Hmmm - maybe we Aussies are more violent.. but I was brought up with a
>slight variation on that one:
>
>Mary had a little lamb
>Her father shot it dead
>And now it follows her to school
>Between two hunks of bread
>
That was probably our version too. I could only remember the first and
last lines so made up the rest!!

On another theme....

Mary had a little bike
She bought it for a dollar
And everywhere the front wheel went
The back wheel had to follow

On 30 Sep 2005 07:19:49 +0200, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:


>You might find lamb stew meat stronger flavored and perhaps more gamey than
>some other cuts.
>
>--
>Wayne Boatwright *¿*


I was under the impression from previous newsgroups postings (some
years back) that American's weren't very familiar with lamb, nor did
they like the taste. I believe the main complaint was a taste of
fattiness.

In NZ, for the animal to be classified as a lamb it must be under 12
months of age and "not have any permanent incisors in wear", which
means if the lamb gets permanent incisors early, which it can if the
season is benign, it's classed as mutton. Our export lamb (if you buy
NZ lamb) is not allowed to exceed 12.5kg (28lb), so they are pretty
young and tender. I believe Australian lamb is also of very high
quality.

Mutton is a tougher cut, but on the other hand, has more flavour.
That might be the gamey taste you refer to.

I won't quibble that roast lamb does taste a bit fatty. Why, I'm not
sure, because it is a very lean meat, and calorie wise, it's no worse
than beef (I think, Sheldon!)

Lamb is readily available here and used to be the main meat consumed
until user-pays came in. Now we have to pay export prices in our own
country and personally, I don't buy it often. But it does have that
special taste that we love, particularly with mint sauce.

When you look at the price of lamb per kilogram here, it looks
competitive with other meats but it isn't. There's more bone than in
pork and chicken cuts, so it works out dearer a roast cut. So lamb is
very expensive for us, too, compared with other meats. I wait for it
to go on special.

Until recently, lamb shanks were virtually a throw-away cut. Now
restaurants have made them popular and we pay too much for them too,
maybe NZ$7 for two (about US$5) -- one NZ$=US70c)

...... So Damsel in Distress, if you want to try lamb, let me know your
preferred tastes, and I'll give you a recipe a think might be
appropriate.

Kathy

Kathy in NZ wrote:

> I was under the impression from previous newsgroups postings (some
> years back) that American's weren't very familiar with lamb, nor did
> they like the taste. I believe the main complaint was a taste of
> fattiness.

Not just the US but Canada too. I remember it being served only once in our
house when I was a kid. My mother and one of my brothers liked it. My father
hated lamb, attributed to several years in England during the war when he was
fed a lot of mutton. Lamb seems to be the sort of thing that people wither
really love or really hate.

For a long time, it was rare to see lamb in a supermarket in this part of
Canada. My wife comes from a family of lamb lovers and used to buy it at a local
butcher shop. It was also quite expensive. It has become a lot more popular as
is more widely available now.

I have to wonder a friend of mine. She likes to hunt, even had a blind set up on
her property to hunt deer and turkey. She raves about deer meat, but she won't
eat lamb because it tastes gamy. Go figger.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Kathy in NZ wrote:
>
>> I was under the impression from previous newsgroups postings (some
>> years back) that American's weren't very familiar with lamb, nor did
>> they like the taste. I believe the main complaint was a taste of
>> fattiness.
>
> Not just the US but Canada too. I remember it being served only once in
> our
> house when I was a kid. My mother and one of my brothers liked it. My
> father
> hated lamb, attributed to several years in England during the war when he
> was
> fed a lot of mutton. Lamb seems to be the sort of thing that people wither
> really love or really hate.
>
> For a long time, it was rare to see lamb in a supermarket in this part of
> Canada. My wife comes from a family of lamb lovers and used to buy it at a
> local
> butcher shop. It was also quite expensive. It has become a lot more
> popular as
> is more widely available now.
>
> I have to wonder a friend of mine. She likes to hunt, even had a blind set
> up on
> her property to hunt deer and turkey. She raves about deer meat, but she
> won't
> eat lamb because it tastes gamy. Go figger.
>

Perhaps the lamb has been fed rather than grazed - IMO it 'really' makes a
difference in taste.
Dee Dee

Dee Randall wrote:

> > I have to wonder a friend of mine. She likes to hunt, even had a blind set
> > up on
> > her property to hunt deer and turkey. She raves about deer meat, but she
> > won't
> > eat lamb because it tastes gamy. Go figger.
> >
>
> Perhaps the lamb has been fed rather than grazed - IMO it 'really' makes a
> difference in taste.

I just thought that it was ironic that someone who claims to hunt for food would
complain about a gamy flavour.

Dave Smith wrote:
> Kathy in NZ wrote:
>
> > I was under the impression from previous newsgroups postings (some
> > years back) that American's weren't very familiar with lamb, nor did
> > they like the taste. I believe the main complaint was a taste of
> > fattiness.
>
> Not just the US but Canada too. I remember it being served only once in our
> house when I was a kid. My mother and one of my brothers liked it. My father
> hated lamb, attributed to several years in England during the war when he was
> fed a lot of mutton. Lamb seems to be the sort of thing that people wither
> really love or really hate.

During WWII everything in the US was rationed (anyone remember ration
stamps). Most all the beef, pork, and chicken went to the military.
Mostly all the butchers had to sell was lam, so growing up I ate lots
of lam, maybe five times a week... I grew to hate it, I mean I HATE
lam... can't even stand the stench of it. I won't enter any house
where lam was ever cooked, not any restaurants that serve lam either.
When I move into a house I have it fumigated and toss the stove out to
the curb... did that here.

> I have to wonder a friend of mine. She likes to hunt, even had a blind set up on
> her property to hunt deer and turkey. She raves about deer meat, but she won't
> eat lamb because it tastes gamy. Go figger.

She hunts lam... good!

Sheldon

Sheldon wrote:

> During WWII everything in the US was rationed (anyone remember ration
> stamps). Most all the beef, pork, and chicken went to the military.
> Mostly all the butchers had to sell was lam, so growing up I ate lots
> of lam, maybe five times a week... I grew to hate it, I mean I HATE
> lam... can't even stand the stench of it. I won't enter any house
> where lam was ever cooked, not any restaurants that serve lam either.
> When I move into a house I have it fumigated and toss the stove out to
> the curb... did that here.


"Lamb tastes like old boiled wool..."

Actually, I like a really good lamb chop. A good one can be sublime. A
chef friend ocassionally makes a rack of lamb, I am one of the few of the
gang that will take her up on an invitation, since most don't like lamb very
much. That just means more for us :-)

My dad raised sheep on the farm, he won a number of prizes exhibiting them
at the State Fair. But my mom simply wouldn't have sheep meat in the house
(this was the 50's), too many Depression memories of ghastly boiled mutton
("poor food")...I actually first tasted lamb when I moved to Chicawgo.

Hmmmm...now Sheldon can I come over to yer place and rustle up some lamb
burgers for ya made out of that fercockt ground lamb "mystery meat" they
sell at the stoopidmarket...???

;-)

--
Best
Greg

Went supermarket shopping today and bought a roast for tomorrow night
-- leg of lamb, 1.2kg for NZ$13.23 (2.6 lb for US$9.10)