Succulent roasted leg of lamb or savory braised lamb shoulder is a tradition on many holiday tables at this time of year.
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(Illustration by Daniel Marsula, Post-Gazette) |
To complete the theme, accompaniments might be spring's sweet vegetables: asparagus, tiny peas braised with lettuce, baby carrots, tender spinach, the first-dug potatoes, spring or knobby onions, and artichokes.
But lamb isn't only a seasonal delight.
Southwestern Pennsylvania still produces the most lamb in the state. Washington County leads the race, followed by Lancaster County, and just a few ewe away is Greene County. But the numbers have dropped significantly from the times of our forebears. This drop, according to Tom Calvert, president of the Pennsylvania Sheep and Wool Growers Association, is "due to a change in the style of farming and a decline in farming overall."
We are lucky to have two boutique or niche farmers in our midst, raising some of the country's finest lamb, hormone- and antibiotic-free.
Jamison Farm owners and operators John and Sukey Jamison saw the promise in the hills in the mid-'70s when they settled in an old stone house near Latrobe. Sukey Jamison got a few sheep to graze their 65 acres. They thought the hills were too steep to farm as others were doing. "Then it became a 4-H project gone wild," mused Sukey Jamison.
Since its beginnings in the early '80s, they've since moved to a larger farm. There the lambs graze naturally on wild field grasses, including bluegrass, white clover and rye grass. "The meat is pinker, younger," said Sukey Jamison. "[It's] more like the free-range lamb raised in France."
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| | Where to buy fresh-from-farm lamb Jamison Farm lamb is sold by mail order or may be ordered ahead and picked up directly from the farm, which is about 45 minutes from Pittsburgh. Call 800-237-5262 or go to www.jamisonfarm.com. Deadline for holiday orders is March 27.
Elysian Fields Farms lamb may be purchased at the following area stores:
 John McGinnis Special Food Store, 3759 Library Road, Castle Shannon; 412-344-1450.
Ruggeri's Food Shoppe, 5878 Northumberland St., Squirrel Hill; 412-521-0718.
Brilliant Market, 27 Brilliant Ave., Aspinwall; 412-781-4111.
Select Food Market, 510 Beaver St., Sewickley; 412-741-4311.
North Star Market in the North Hills (advance orders only; call 724-443-7240)
-- Miriam Rubin
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Jamison Farm lamb appears on the tables of fine local eateries, including Lidia's in the Strip and Isabella on Mount Washington. In New York, Jamison provides lamb to Daniel, Cafe Boulud, Judson Grill and Picholine, among others.
Keith Martin runs Elysian Fields in Ruff Creek, just outside of Waynesburg in Greene County. He began his business in 1989, leaving behind a life as a stockbroker, laughing heartily as he remembers those days.
Elysian Fields lamb is more typical of American lamb -- larger, meatier, with bigger cuts and a mild flavor. After weaning, the lambs are fed a diet of corn, oats, soybean meal, molasses and salt.
Locally, Elysian Fields lamb is enjoyed at the Duquesne Club and the Steelhead Grill. In New York, you will be served Elysian Fields rack of lamb at such well-regarded restaurants as Gramercy Tavern and La Grenouille. And up to 18 legs of lamb a week are shipped to Northern California and served exclusively at Thomas Keller's restaurants, French Laundry and Bouchon. (A note: In the interest of full disclosure, Keith Martin is the twin brother of one of the reporter's brothers-in-law.) Lamb is much appreciated in Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, which inspired two of the recipes we've chosen. We pored over a new book by Diane Kochilas, "The Glorious Foods of Greece," which contained an assortment of mouth-watering lamb recipes.
The dish we picked called for a prodigious amount of spring onions or scallions, which felt really seasonal. Daffodils blooming in the garden aided the fever. At a recent party, friends who tasted Lamb Baked on a Bed of Spring Onions and Garlic praised it highly.
The lamb chop recipe came from a favorite source, "The Periyali Cookbook" by Holly Garrison, written with the Greek owners of the New York restaurant of the same name. The recipe couldn't be easier or better. Chop some rosemary, mix it with salt and pepper and rub it on the chops. Let them stand a bit -- grill. Lamb steaks would also be delicious prepared this way.
The lamb shank recipe is tried and true -- one we always turn to if a shank is about. Serve with good, crusty bread for sopping purposes. Shanks can be hard to find, so if you happen upon them, buy them up and pop in the freezer to use another time.
When cooking lamb, there are a few things to keep in mind. It's cooked in two basic ways: moist heat (simmered or baked in liquid) for tougher cuts such as shank, shoulder and neck; and dry heat (roasting, broiling, grilling, pan-frying) for tender cuts, such as rack (rib), loin and leg.
Unless cooked with moist heat (think lamb stew), lamb is best done "pink" -- a shade past medium-rare, 140 to 150 degrees internal temperature.
A chop or steak can be grilled to a turn with a simple sprinkle of salt and pepper, but lamb loves big flavors. Try a marinade of olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and rosemary, thyme and/or oregano. Or a dry rub of ground cumin, red pepper, coriander, kosher salt and brown sugar. See the accompanying recipes to get you started on making delicious lamb dishes.
Related Recipes:
Lamb baked on a bed of spring onions and garlic
Periyali's lamb chops with rosemary grilled over charcoal
Braised lamb shanks with white beans
Miriam Rubin is a Greene County free-lance writer.
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