Love Irish lamb
I love lamb; the sweetness of Irish lamb reared on fresh grass is incomparable. Irish hill lamb is coming into season, so ask your butcher for it. It has a smaller, leaner carcass, and smaller cuts, than the conventional, lowland product, and, due to the variation of vegetation it grazes on — heathers, grasses, furze — over extensive areas of hill and mountain, the meat has a sweeter, richer flavour.
I tasted Blackface lamb in Skibbereen, last week. It has a distinctive flavour, different from Suffolk or Suffolk Texel crosses, from lamb reared on the Knockmealdown mountains, and from those in Co Wicklow and Connemara. Why is it so difficult to identify the difference in butcher shops?
I, and many chefs and customers, would be interested to taste and compare individual breeds. In other countries, the demand for rare-breed meat is gathering momentum — when we have it, let’s flaunt it. Butcher Andrew Sharpe, from Cumbria, has put Swallowdale and Herdwick lamb and mutton back on the menu. Ten years ago, he encouraged local farmers to sell directly to the public from the farmers’ market in Kendal. The response was so overwhelming that they loaded up a van a few weeks later and headed for Borough Market, London, and customers went mad for it. As a result, they saved the livelihood of many of the sheep farmers in Cumbria.
In Ireland, it’s easy for chefs to be tempted to simplify their lives by ordering from a single catering supplier: individual joints arrive trimmed and identical. However, there’s a price for everything, and, if we don’t support all our farmers and serve our local lamb proudly, it won’t be an option within a short time and then watch how the price will shoot up. According to Bord Bia, Ireland produces 60,000 tons of sheep meat annually; one third of this is consumed on the domestic market. Average per capita consumption of lamb is 5kg, and this is twice the average European Union rate. As well as being a source of protein, lamb is an excellent source of easily absorbed zinc, iron, and vitamin B, especially B12.
Every scrap of lamb can be used. A leg of lamb, simply roasted, can feed an entire family, and, depending on size, can provide leftovers for tasty sandwiches or shepherd’s pie. The loin provides two types of chops — side and centre loin, and then there are meaty chump chops between the loin and leg. The less expensive shoulder and neck make a delicious stew, or the shoulder can be slow-roasted for a joint that will have the entire family licking their lips. Make a broth from the bones, add some diced vegetables and pearl barley, and you’ll have the most comforting of soup.
Lamb shanks are still incredible value for money, as is breast of lamb or lamb riblets, which both children and adults adore. I also love lambs kidneys, which have to be the best value of all.
Bord Bia also say that there is a growing trend towards purchasing value cuts, such as burgers and diced and minced lamb, which are useful for mid-week meal options.
Whichever joint we choose, make sure it’s Irish. Irish lamb is grass-fed and free-range.
In the famous words of the late Jack Lynch ‘lets look after our own.’
Serves 4
A recipe from Bord Bia
1 large onion, finely chopped
Groundnut oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablesp. fresh root ginger, grated
1 teasp. ground cumin
1 teasp. ground coriander
1 fresh chilli, chopped
3-4 cardamom pods, seeded and crushed
1 teasp. turmeric
1kg shoulder of lamb, well trimmed and diced
125ml greek style natural yoghurt, mixed with 1 teasp. cornflour
225g mushrooms, sliced
1 tablesp. lemon/lime juice
Salt and black pepper
Sauté the onions in the oil in a heavy saucepan until lightly golden. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, chillies, cardamom and turmeric and fry gently for two minutes. Add lamb and coat with the onion and spice mixture. Stir in the yoghurt, cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally or cook in the oven, Gas Mark 4, 180°C (350°F) for approximately one hour.
Add mushrooms and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes or until the lamb is tender. Stir in the lemon/lime juice, season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with a sprig of coriander or chervil and a fresh red chilli cut in half.
Delicious served with basmati rice.
Serves 10-15
1 leg of lamb 2.5-3kg (5½ -6½lb), boned and butterflied (ask your butcher to do this)
6 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
110ml (4fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons marjoram or oregano
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
A few hours before cooking scatter half the slivered garlic and chopped marjoram over the base of a large non-reactive dish. Drizzle with some olive oil. Slash the skin side of the meat here and there and lay on top of the garlic and herbs. Sprinkle the remainder of the herbs, garlic and olive oil over the top. Season with lots of freshly cracked pepper. Cover and allow to marinade for a minimum of 2-3 hours or better still overnight.
Remove meat from the marinade, season with sea salt and cook on a pre-heated barbecue. Grill for 30 to 40 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time for medium rare. Let rest for 10 minutes and then carve into thin slices. Serve at once.
Alternatively cook in a preheated hot oven 230C/450F/gas mark 8 for 30-40 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Makes 8-12 depending on size
2lbs (900g) minced shoulder of lamb
8oz (225g) finely chopped onion
2oz (55g) butter
2 teaspoons of coriander, toasted and ground
2 teaspoons cumin seed, toasted and ground
salt and pepper
2 eggs
Sweat the finely chopped onions gently in the butter until cooked. Put to cool and then add them to the minced lamb and spices. Add the lightly beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Form into burger or patty shapes and refrigerate until required. Cook on a hot grill or frying pan according to your own liking. Serve with Ballymaloe relish, mint chutney, a little diced apple and banana and a dusting of paprika.
Ballymaloe Tomato Relish, fresh coriander leaves, diced apple and banana, Banana and yogurt raita and poppodums are also good with these.
This is often served in India with curries. It is good with grilled fish or roast lamb instead of mint sauce. Surprisingly, even though it is uncooked, this chutney will keep for several days in a covered jar or plastic container in the refrigerator.
1 large cooking apple (we use Grenadier or Bramley Seedling), peeled and cored
A large handful of fresh mint leaves, Spearmint or Bowles mint
55g (2oz) onions
30-55g (1-2ozs) castor sugar (depending on tartness of apple)
salt and cayenne pepper
Whizz all the ingredients in a food processor, season with salt and a little cayenne pepper.
Serves 8 approx.
Choose kebab skewers carefully. They need to be flat and at least 3mm (1/8inch) wide, better still 5mm (¼inch). If they are round, the meat will swivel as you try to turn it. Best barbecued, but kebabs mayalso be pan-grilled.
900g (2lb) lean shoulder or leg of lamb
300ml (½ pint) natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepperjuice of ½ lemon
OR
6 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon annual marjoram, rosemary or thyme leaves
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
salt and freshly ground pepper
metal skewers or kebab sticks
Mix either or both marinades, cut the meat into 2.5cm (1inch) cubes approx, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and put into chosen marinade for one hour at least. Drain the meat and thread into metal skewers or kebab sticks. Grill for 7 -10 minutes on barbecue. Turn and baste with the marinade, serve with a green salad and chosen sauce.
THIS Greek speciality is a delicious cucumber and yoghurt mixture and can be served as an accompanying salad or as a sauce to serve with grilled fish or meat. Greek yoghurt is often made with sheep’s milk and is wonderfully thick and creamy.
1 crisp Irish cucumber, peeled and diced into 1/8-¼ inch dice approx.
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 heaped tablesp of freshly chopped mint
16 fl oz (450ml) Greek yoghurt or best quality natural yoghurt
4 tablespoons cream
Put the cucumber dice into a sieve and sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for about 30 minutes.
Dry the cucumber on kitchen paper, put into a bowl and mix with garlic, a dash of wine vinegar or lemon juice and the yoghurt and cream. Stir in the mint and taste, it may need a little salt and freshly ground pepper, or even a pinch of sugar.
Check out the Bord Bia website on www.bordbia.ie for lots of delicious lamb recipes.
There’s a family day at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, Shanagarry, on Sunday September 14 from 12-5pm.
Food stalls and music, traditional steam thresher, open gardens and games, Rachel Allen book signing, Forgotten Skills demonstrations such as how to make butter, Irish Soda Bread, how to keep a few hens. Tickets on the day. Adults €6.50, Children €3.50 – Family ticket €20. Slow Food members, €5, €2.50 and €15. Threshing lunch €15 per person. All welcome.
www.slowfoodireland.ie www.cookingisfun.ie
The Great Taste Awards, which is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and often referred to as the Oscars of the food industry, is this year celebrating its 15th anniversary. www.finefoodawards.co.uk
Congratulations to Caroline Rigney, Rigneys Farm, near Adare, Co Limerick for winning an award for her pork products. Caroline also runs a very successful farm guesthouse on their working farm. Email: info@rigneysfarm.com Website: www.rigneysfarm.com
Corrin Hill Ice Cream from Fermoy is also celebrating their Great Taste Award. The Cork dairy has received Gold Great Taste Awards for Corrin Hill Strawberry Ice Cream and Corrin Hill Natural Frozen Yogurt.
The Hollies, Castletown, Enniskeane, Co Cork is a centre for training in practical sustainability. The aim of the project is to create working examples of what a sustainable society might look like in the areas of housing, energy, gardening, economics and community development. Since 2003 work has gone into building a cob house, gardens, an orchard and woodland. Various natural building techniques can be seen.
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