In the run-up to Easter, lamb is more easily found in the shops and yesterday morning I took my trusty tome, Frances Bissell's Book of Food along to the jolly, gesticulating butcher to show him how lamb chops are cut in Britain. I most certainly don't want to indulge in traditional British cooking here, but I don't want to cook Italian all the time, either, and for certain lamb dishes I do want some cuts that are not all bone and that I can actually do something with! The butcher and his three assistants pored over the illustrations and, to be fair, seemed quite interested [though I'm sure they later had a fine discussion on the madness of the British, who, as all Italians know, not only eat breakfast but partake of fried food at this meal, figurati - imagine!] and above you may behold the chops I ended up with.
They worked perfectly fine for Sophie Grigson's Spiced Lamb with Roots and Alliums [minus the parsnips, which are impossible to obtain here]: the recipe contains tamarind, nigella [kalonji] seeds, new potatoes, red onions, turmeric and lots of lovely garlic. It smells divine whilst cooking, if I say so myself. It is a dish that always thoroughly warms me up.
12 comments:
Mmmmm...I can smell them right through the computer! I am a lover of lamb - in any form - and often have rack of lamb when out at a fine dining establishment.
That sounds delicious. We had a traditional roast lamb dinner today, which was a bit disappointing lambwise. But yummy veg and gravy!
I had the most tasty lamb joint today, it just melted in your mouth... the butcher just chose the joint as being the best! I think he was right ;-)
Thanbks, Leslie. I agree, because you can use lamb in so many different ways. Oh, Liz, you make me long for gravy now! Ciao, cherrypie. From your description I can tell that it was wonderful!
Naturally I was brought up on lamb so we have it often since it is available all year round (from NZ and Australia).
One thing they do here at my supermarket is sell deboned and butterflied leg of lamb which is delicious. They even sell it marinated in olive oil with rosemary.
Yours looks absolutely yummy as usual.
The traditional fried breakfast!
Yes, that is something I'd miss.
In fact, you've just reminded me- days off work have a purpose- It's time to get frying!
That looks great, but the raw ingredients don't look like any chop I know. I love the fact that different cultures even carve up their carcases differently. All that stuff about cutting with or against the grain of the meat to ensure tenderness - Heston Blumenthal did a fab programme on the perfect way to mince beef for the best burgers, and yes, different countries do it their own sweet way. Here is Heston 9 minutes in.
the recipe contains tamarind, nigella [kalonji] seeds, new potatoes, red onions, turmeric and lots of lovely garlic
What does that do for the digestive system?
I thought that was pussing old pork for a mo there... yeah lamb rocks! That looks fantastic!! I agree with Leslie ~ some kinda PC-olifactory "thang" is going on right here...
Hi, jmb. I miss butterflied cuts of lamb. Ciao, Crushed. I only miss a Brit brekkie about once a week - and when it's cold! Hi, mopsa. I agree it's fascinating and thanks for the clip. James - a great deal of good, I should think. Thanks, Gleds.
Mmmm my taste buds are working overtime just looking at this post.
Hi, nunyaa. Thank you and welcome to my blog.
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