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Not Your Ordinary Farm
There are some meals that spell COMFORT to all who eat them. Leave your teeth behind. Savor the smell and the melting texture. Give yourself over to a sensuous repast.
The shank and shoulder cuts of many meats are the most tender, but only if they are cooked properly. They have the unfair reputation of being tough because folks cook them as they cook steak or hamburgers—seared at a high temperature. But if you treat them right—cooking them slowly at low temperatures—they provide a dinner that can untangle us from life's stresses and remind us of the joys of a full stomach and a quiet evening.
At Not Your Ordinary Farm in Guilford, my primary offerings are lamb and pork products from animals born and raised on the farm. Animals are raised without hormones or drugs. Lambs are on grass from the first greening of the pasture in a mixed-age flock. Piglets and their mother sows live along the margins of the fields with shade provided by overhanging branches. And all the animals have a rotational life: for the sheep it's a daily occurrence, while pigs move according to weather, the condition of their paddock, and when the next area is ready for them.
Below is my recipe for lamb shoulder chops or lamb shanks.
Judy Sopenski has been gardening and raising food for 30 years. Seven years ago, she moved to the Packer Corners in Guilford and
began Not Your Ordinary Farm with four ewes, a borrowed ram, and two hogs.
Photo courtesy of Judy Sopenski
Not Your Ordinary Lamb Recipe
The night before, prepare the wet rub:
1 large clove of garlic for each portion (1/2 to 3/4 pound of lamb per person)
1/4 teaspoon of herb/spice per portion (rosemary if thinking Italian, cumin if thinking Moroccan, parsley and a touch of lemon if thinking Greek)
Rub into lamb, then put meat into refrigerator, covered.
Two hours before dinner:
Cover bottom of skillet with just enough olive oil or butter to prevent sticking.
Gently brown lamb pieces over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Put lamb shanks or shoulder chops into a heavy, covered ovenproof pan or crockpot, add enough liquid (water, stock, or white or red wine) to fill pan about 1/2 inch deep, and put in oven at 325 degrees, or in a crockpot at high temperature, or on the back burner of your stove.
Simmer for a couple of hours, checking on the pot occasionally to be certain that the liquid has not evaporated.
Prepare risotto or polenta to go with this dish. And parsnips are great with lamb.
