Lamb...cold or hot

[Vaino]

My Mother at Easter always invited the family over for an "Easter Feast" and indeed it always was. The 2 meat entrees were a baked ham and a leg of lamb....both were done to perfection. My Mother had a restaurant for many years and my Dad was a restaurant manager having "climbed the ladder" from cook to chef and then to manager.....this was before he was a precinct Captain of Police in Milw.



So our family loves lamb and in a few days some of the family will be arriving for a meal of American grown lamb which we prefer.

Greek style lamb chops, parslied red potatoes and carrots in a tarragon butter sauce will comprise the meal....along w/ a Greek salad. A good bakery white bread served warm rounds it off.

Have also taken legs of lamb on hunting trips and it's eaten cold....just cut what you want, put between good bakery bread and slather either mustard, creamed horseradish, mayo and salt and pepper and enjoy a feast. Leg of lamb is quite lean so is very enjoyable eating when cold.

Buying lamb can be difficult because many don't like it....so many stores don't stock lamb.

My source of lamb is surprisingly Walmart....whether it be the leg, shoulder chops or the loin cut chops, it's always excellent and the shoulder chops are cut up and made into stew.

All the lamb is American grown and is vacuum wrapped and is very reasonably priced. Shouldn't be revealing this source....there might be a price increase......Fred

 

[satx78247]

When I do a "mixed grill" for family/friends, I always fix lamb chops as one of the 5 meats.

yours, satx

 

[nhmoose]

Not Baaaaaaaaaaaad! Sorry could not resist.

I only like it hot, as cold it, to my taste, is to tallowy.

Note don't do mutton at all.

 

[satx78247]

CHUCKLE.

I've never been hungry enough to eat mutton after the 1st bite.
(I don't even eat Navaho Stew, unless I cannot turn it down without offending a friend.)

yours, satx

 

[Black Hand]

I've never been hungry enough to eat mutton after the 1st bite.

Mutton = Old sheep
Lamb = Young sheep

Huge difference in flavor...though both are good.

 

[Black Hand]

Roasted Leg of Lamb - Poke holes and insert a piece of Garlic and some fresh Rosemary, Salt & Pepper to taste.

Variation for Sheep cuts - Roast with Onions, Rosemary, Salt & Pepper and Potato chunks.

 

[Vaino]

Greek style lamb is seasoned w/ a lot of garlic, rosemary, thyme oregano, natural lemon juice and S & P.

W/ leg of lamb, the pieces of garlic are generously dispersed into the meat.

The chops will be stove top sautéed in olive oil along w/ many cloves of garlic. The chops are removed from the pan when done and the above seasonings along w/ the lemon juice deglaze the "goodies....this is then poured over the chops....truly a gourmet's delight. Grilling is also very good......lamb likes "smoke".

Leg of lamb is very lean and is delicious when eaten at room temp. or slightly cold. Don't eat mutton at all.....Fred

 

[satx78247]

THANKS for the information.

yours, satx

 

[necchi]

The topic;
Lamb...cold or hot
For most folks and the younger generations you might be serving?
It's best hot. Well maybe not "hot",, just not served cold
You best get them young ones seated when the meat is hot,, then start serving.
Point is if it get's cold they ain't gonna like it

 

[Kansas Jake]

That is how my wife fixed our leg of lamb on Easter. She baked it in a Romertopf (clay pot). It was good, but I think we got it a little over done this year. She made a compote served on the side with mint, walnuts, lemon and olive. It was good. We also had creamed horse radish on the side too.

I'm not too fond of cold lamb.

 

[Black Hand]

I'm not too fond of cold lamb.

I don't mind it cold, but prefer to warm/crisp it in a frying pan.

 

[Vaino]

The only lamb I serve at room temp or slightly cold is the leg of lamb because it's quite lean. Makes wonderful sandwiches w/ creamed horseradish or mustard of choice...usually Dijon and a good rye bread.

The last time I had leg of lamb it was paired w/ a prime rib roast and the lamb "outsold" the prime rib......Fred

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Mutton = Old sheep
Lamb = Young sheep

Young sheep, broiled or roasted...,

Old Sheep, must be made with a liberal dose of Yellow Curry...,

Older to Very Old Sheep, must be made with Red Curry ...,

LD

 

[Vaino]

The best, most tasty and tender lamb I've ever eaten was in Spain and was a very young half a lamb for one person....it even had the kidney attached and was only milk fed. It was cooked in a Spanish brick oven under very high heat that made for a crispy exterior and a juicy interior. A minimum of seasoning was used in order to taste the wonderful lamb. The restaurant was El Candido in Segovia, Spain and requires a train ride from Madrid.

Because this lamb is so special, have eaten there 3 times.....Fred

 

[tenngun]

I went to a school In New Mexico, we had almost half of our kids being Navajo, Jicarilla, and Basque. We had mutton or lamb in our school cafeteria two or three times a weak. Many cooked in to burrito or taco filling. Stews were common. My dad hated it so we never had it at home. We had a lot of goat also. I never pass up a 'bowl of the red'

 

[Vaino]

Have eaten a lot of goat at Indian restaurants and found it tender and tasty....although sometimes the Indian spices over power the taste of the goat.

Actually the Indian peoples and the people of other close by countries use a lot of spices and herbs for 2 reasons. Many of the world's spices and herbs are grown in these countries and secondly because of a general lack of refrigeration, the seasonings camouflage bad meat.....Fred

 

[satx78247]

TRUE FACTS.

Fyi, the traditional "Texas Red Chili" was invented by the Comanches to cover-up that the horsemeat used to make it was about half-spoiled. - I suspect that most of the beef used by "The Chili Queens" of San Antonio in the 1830s was about the same.

yours, satx

 

[Billnpatti]

CHUCKLE.

I've never been hungry enough to eat mutton after the 1st bite.
(I don't even eat Navaho Stew, unless I cannot turn it down without offending a friend.)

yours, satx

I am with you with regard to eating mutton. Only difference is that I can't get past the smell to get to the first bite. Mutton smells like I would imagine a boiling mixture of old underwear and gym sox that had been worn for a week would smell. I suppose that if I were dying of hunger I could eat the stuff but short of that, there ain't no way. You may have to be born British (I think they are born without taste buds) to eat the stuff. :haha:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Buying lamb can be difficult because many don't like it....so many stores don't stock lamb.

My source of lamb is surprisingly Walmart....whether it be the leg, shoulder chops or the loin cut chops, it's always excellent and the shoulder chops are cut up and made into stew.

For many years we bought directly from someone who raised them. He would feed properly and call us when he took it to the slaughter house.
Lamb served hot is best, if it cools a bit, not so good. But, leftovers out of the fridge are just yummy. And, yes, garlic and mint are essential in lamb recipies.

 

[BullRunBear]

Fred, Thanks for the heads up about Wal-Mart. I seldom go there but for good American leg of lamb it would be worth the trip.

Nothing beats that first serving of lamb from the oven, preferably on the rare side of medium rare. My favorite leftovers are bite size pieces on warm buttered pita bread (my grandparents called it Syrian bread.)Have a side of yogurt flavored with plenty of good olive oil, lemon juice, minced mint and oregano to dip each piece into.

Okay, There's Easter leg of lamb left in the fridge. I know what I'm having for dinner tonight.

Jeff