WHY IS LAMB TRADITIONAL IN SPRING?

It’s interesting to see – lamb is traditional in many cultures in spring – the time to eat fresh meat again after months of fasting.

In Greece, for example, lamb is the classic dish for Easter, which is actually coming up at the end of April in the Greek Orthodox calendar.

Today, lamb is produced all year round, so it’s not necessary to wait until spring for the best lamb. But we still have a tradition of eating lamb – with spring vegetables like asparagus – at this time of year.

DO WE EAT A LOT OF LAMB IN CANADA?

Not that much, really. Compared to beef, pork and poultry, lamb is way down the list. In fact, the average Canadian consumes about 13 kg of beef a year, about 10 ½ kg of chicken, 10 kg of pork, 2.2 kg of turkey, and less than ½ kg of lamb and mutton, less actually than offal.

But lamb consumption has been growing slightly in recent years, along with meat consumption in general.

When I was a kid, eating lamb usually meant eating mutton, an older animal that was often tougher and much stronger and gamier in flavour. So it wasn’t always a positive experience.

But the lamb we have today is much younger and milder in flavour. The definition of lamb is sheep meat that is less than one year old, while mutton is used for meat from older sheep.

Today lamb is raised in Alberta much like beef, finished on a grain-based diet to increase the fat and tenderness of the final product. It’s such a mild lamb flavour, that eating a grilled lamb chop is almost like eating a steak.

AND HOW MUCH LAMB DO WE PRODUCE HERE IN ALBERTA?

Well, not nearly as much as beef. Most people don’t know that we have had a sheep industry in Alberta for more than 100 years – the Alberta Sheep Breeders Association is actually one of the oldest livestock organizations in the province, formed back in 1902.

Still, lamb production in countries like Australia and New Zealand is massive by comparison, which is why we do see a lot more New Zealand lamb in the market. It has a lot to do with the climate – in New Zealand they can raise sheep year round but it’s more seasonal here. And sheer numbers. According to the latest statistics, there are about 155,000 head of sheep in Alberta, and 40 million in New Zealand.

So Alberta lamb is rare. It tastes milder than New Zealand lamb, because it’s grain fed, like beef, which means it costs more to produce. New Zealand lamb is grazed on grass year round, which gives it more lamb flavour and a healthy level of Omega 3’s, which is good, too.

Chefs often serve the premium-priced Alberta lamb but for consumers, it’s usually far easier to find imported New Zealand lamb in the supermarket, and it’s usually considerably cheaper than Alberta lamb.

If you’re looking for local lamb, contact a smaller butcher or go directly to a producer on the farm or at a local farmer’s market. Driview Farms near Lethbridge is one source of locally-grown lamb.

WHAT ARE THE BEST CUTS OF LAMB?

It really depends what you want to cook, lamb is really quite versatile and goes into a lot of classic dishes.

Thick lamb loin chops are simple to sear on the barbecue like a steak.

Rack of lamb is really just two whole loins, with the rib bones exposed or Frenched, that is cleaned of excess fat and meat, then interlocked together like fingers to roast.

Lamb shank is delicious for osso bucco, braised for hours in the oven with aromatic spices and tomatoes. Or you can use lamb steaks, cut from the shoulder, for stews.

I usually take a lamb shoulder apart, cut it into large cubes and then make a braise with rosemary, red wine, garlic and black olives. And lamb makes great kabobs, pieces cut from the leg or shoulder, then marinated with garlic and lemon juice, skewered on sticks and grilled for souvlakia.

Ground lamb is great in lamb burgers with blue cheese, or in dishes like Greek Moussaka. And leg of lamb is the classic Sunday roast – the whole leg, on the bone, or a boneless leg that you can stuff and roll.

THERE ARE A LOT OF TRADITIONAL GREEK DISHES THAT USE LAMB.

Yes, go to any part of the world where it’s difficult to graze cattle, and you’ll find lamb and goat on the menu.

Lamb is really popular in Greece – likely partly due to the rocky topography of most small Greek islands – and it’s classic in places like Iceland and the west coast of Scotland, other rocky places where the animals thrive. Lamb is an ancient food – first domesticated about 8900 B.C. in Iraq and Romania, both places where lamb is still traditional. But it’s also popular in the south of France, and in Morocco and Tunisia, really in countries throughout that whole Mediterranean region.

WHAT’S THE TRICK TO COOKING LAMB PROPERLY?

Lamb is really very easy to cook. Tender cuts like chops are like beef steaks – easy to grill and very juicy and tender.

Always start with high heat, to sear the meat and caramelize it well on the outside, then finish cooking at a lower heat.

The trick with lamb is never to overcook it. A chop or rack of lamb should never be cooked past medium – I like my lamb medium rare. You want your lamb to be pink inside when you serve it, so don’t cook it past medium rare, then make sure you let it rest for 10 minutes before service to let the juices set in the meat. Use an instant read thermometer and cook your lamb just to 140 or maximum 150 degrees F – that’s medium rare or medium – and you’ll have perfect chops and roasts every time.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO COOK LAMB?

I love lamb so I have lots of good recipes – we often do a Daub of Lamb, a recipe from the south of France for braising lamb in a stew with rosemary, red wine and dry-cured black olives. Or we’ll marinade a roast, Greek-style, with lots of lemon juice and garlic

But I also love lamb on the grill, which is great for spring. You can buy thick lamb chops and cook them like a steak, no more than 5 minutes a side on a hot grill. Alberta lamb tends to be bigger – so the chops are a lot bigger and one or two chops is often enough for a serving.

But I cooked a centre-cut leg of New Zealand Spring Lamb last weekend on the barbecue and I must say, it was delicious. The meat was incredibly tender, and I didn’t find the flavour strong at all.

It was really a bargain, too. The 3.5 pound centre-cut leg was about $20, less than $7 a pound, and I had the butcher bone it out, so that I had a nice boneless piece to butterfly out flat and grill.

You can also stuff a boneless leg, with tapenade or bread stuffing or feta cheese and olive, roll it and tie it and roast it.

But grilling a whole piece, butterflied, is a really simple and easy way to make a really special meal.

We used the bone and scraps to make soup – scotch broth with barley, carrots and turnips – and we grilled the boneless leg after marinating it in a rub of garlic, green onions, mustard, paprika, olive oil and herbs like thyme, oregano and rosemary for a few hours. The pieces were thick – 1-2 inches – so we seared the meat on high heat first, then moved it over to a cooler side of the grill to cook indirectly for about 25 minutes. It was perfectly medium rare, pink and tender all the way through.

ANY OTHER TIPS?

Well, I think lamb works so well in exotic preparations – whether you’re making an Indian curry or a Moroccan tagine with couscous, lamb is the classic ingredient.

Spring lamb is great for grilling but it’s great to experiment when you’re cooking lamb. Try a rub with curry paste or garam masala, or a herbal rub with lots of cilantro, garlic and chilies. Lamb can stand up to intense flavour, it really takes to it well, so try using more exotic spices, and more assertive herbs like rosemary, oregano or cilantro when you’re cooking lamb. It’s really nice for kabobs, too, when you marinate it with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and dill; or with a robust black olive sauce, like they make in the south of France.

And don’t forget ground lamb for burgers – a lamb burger is wonderful with a little blue cheese on a crusty roll, or try them Greek style with black olive tapenade, yogurt and cucumber tzatziki or feta cheese, and sliced tomatoes in a pita pocket.

Lamb is a great alternative to beef - it just makes your backyard barbecues a little more interesting, and your dinner parties more exotic.

RECIPES?

Yes, I’ve got a two-for-one deal for your leg of lamb this week – buy a centre cut leg, bone in, get the butcher to debone it for you (they will do this at the supermarket) and then you can make a fancy grilled lamb dinner, and a pot of lamb and barley soup, also known as Scotch broth. Perfect for a warm spring day, and a cool one, too.

click here for lamb recipes...

copyright Cinda Chavich, tastereport.com