Thursday, September 20, 2007

Old breeds raise the baa

To my mind, nothing evokes springtime more than new-season lamb.

To my mind, nothing evokes springtime more than new-season lamb. But herein lies the paradox. There are two seasons a year that give us lamb. The first begins in late August and the second in late March.

But it's spring lamb that excites chefs with its lovely, pale red meat that is just begging to be used in lighter style dishes after the richness of winter.

My earliest memories of lamb are my mother's casseroles which simmered away in the oven every Sunday morning.

They were a weekly treat served at lunch that day. I suppose it was a common story in English provinces of the 1960s and 1970s.

Chances are it was made from frozen lamb that had travelled from the Southern Hemisphere.

When buying lamb, check for a good layer of white, dry fat and brightly coloured pale red flesh.

Don't be put off by a little fat. It provides the flavour when cooking and offers some protection for the meat. You'll have no problem buying good quality lamb from a reputable butcher.
Lamb sold in the supermarket is from cross-breeds which are also bred for wool.

From my butcher, a good lamb is the Dorset from the Riverina.

But the most exciting developments of late are from producers rearing old breeds such as black-faced Suffolk, Southdown and Wiltshire Horn.

They are bred purely for their meat. So far, my personal favourite is Wiltshire Horn from Dunbar Wilkinson who farms just south of Cooma. The breed dates back to Roman times.

His property is well on the way to becoming certified organic and he also believes in minimal interference in alamb's short life (they are killed at four to eight months).He doesn't even castrate the males, a common practice commercially. If that's not a happy lamb, I don't know what is.

Share your lamb recipes with us

Posted by Monika Jansch at 4:58 PM | Comments 0

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

What are your lamb favourites?

Sweet and tender, new-style lamb is in the shops. Give it a try and be knocked off your feet.

Lamb we are buying now is sold as spring lamb, but I am not fooled. It is winter lamb and much of what is in the shops has probably spent the past few months grazing on practically bare earth and drinking dirty water because of the drought. Difficult to see how these conditions could produce great-tasting meat.

However, I was given a sample of lamb from Tasmania. I grilled some double cutlets and stopped mid-bite in amazement. Most meat-eaters in Australia love lamb and have a pretty clear idea of what it is going to taste like, how it will cut and how tender it is likely to be. And this was tender, deliciously flavoured sweet meat that cut like butter. Intrigued, I contacted the farmer, Michael Doherty of Aurora Gourmet Produce in Cressy, to find out more.

I have visited beef feedlots and those for raising milk-fed veal. I am aware that these practices are controversial and hesitated to write about them, but I believe food-lovers need to have all the information before making up their minds. Doherty says Aurora lamb is raised entirely on grain after weaning at four months. Successful grain-fed-only lamb is new to Australia. He says a great deal of science has gone into calculating the exact mix of grain that delivers optimum health and condition.

I was not alone in pronouncing the meat excellent. At a recent trade show in Chicago, some US chefs claimed this was the best lamb in the world.

I asked the tricky question: isn't it true that vast tracts of land are covered in broadacre crops simply to feed these animals, putting the environment under stress and often grown using lots of nasty things? Doherty says irrigated pasture in Tasmania would run about six sheep an acre. The same acre would produce four tonnes of grain. And four tonnes of grain sustains 33 sheep raised in the feedlot. The feedlot sheep have 1 per cent mortality compared with 5 to 10 per cent mortality in conventional farming, says Doherty.

And yes, they are penned. The pens are open to the air and they have fresh running water. Doherty says each animal has about 1.6 square metres and that the feedlot floor is covered with a thick layer of hay. Apparently, there are hills the lambs like to climb and there are even beach balls. In Europe and other cold-climate countries, it is considered perfectly normal to herd animals into pens for weather protection. Like one of my heroes, British chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, I believe that an animal deserves to be treated with kindness, fed and sheltered well, and slaughtered without stress. You can always ask the producer if an animal or a fish has been raised humanely and in a way that permits it to develop to its optimum condition.

Share you favourite lamb recipes with us.

Posted by Monika Jansch at 9:57 AM | Comments 2

Creating a dinner party for eight

Dear Bill
I have arranged a dinner party for eight adults. Unfortunately, I am working all that day and won't be home until just before the guests arrive. Do you have any suggestions for fabulous food I can make the day before that will improve for having been made early? - Penny

Dear Penny,
Many a time I've been caught out in a fit of generosity - usually after a glass of wine - and invited people over for a mid-week dinner party. This inevitably leaves me short on time, stressed out and thinking, "How will I pull this off?"

To stop feeling totally out of control and to make the dinner a success, I've learnt it's essential to have the shopping done the day before and have at least part of the meal prepared ahead of time.

We're gradually coming out of the depths of winter, when slow-cooked food feels right and improves from being made ahead of time. Spring food can create more of a challenge. It really needs to have a fresher feel and taste.

This springtime roast chicken flavoured with lemon and green olives is a quickly thrown-together affair that will cook as your guests nibble on the crostini and sip a glass or two of prosecco.

The magnificent tiramisu ice-cream cake - reminiscent of the ice-cream desserts of my childhood - can be prepared a day in advance. It is very straightforward to make but has a great show-off factor and will leave your guests satisfied, impressed and wondering how you managed it on a weeknight.

What would your suggestions be?

Posted by Monika Jansch at 9:50 AM | Comments 0