Saturday, April 23, 2011

Lamb For Holy Week

This is the time when lamb reigns supreme.It's the most desired meat of the season, especially for both Easter, . Italians and Greeks along with the French make the most lamb dishes now, with either a roast leg of it or the entire animal. This tradition is taking on a new twist - the meat is organic and usually bred in the American Southwest - not New Zealand.

Most lamb now is organic. which is what most restaurant and home chefs both demand. Like any free range meat, the lambs are bred without any chemicals or hormone injections. The lambs are now raised (as basically they have been for centuries) in New Mexico.Most of the sheep are descended from the original ones the Spaniards brought to the area in the 1500s and the bloodlines are pure. The diets seem basically the same as they have for five hundred years too. These sheep eat wheat grass along with native snowberry and yarrow as opposed to the usual farm feed.

How does organic lamb taste? The meat is usually flavored with the greens that the animal has lived on. it gives it an herbal yet earthy taste, usually not associated with lamb. The meat itself is tender, perfect for grilling and braising. There's no need for marinading and there's always a guaranteed melt in your mouth quality about it.

The is the season for lamb. The organic kind is probably the best to serve . It is a new spin on a traditional Holy Week standard and a much improved version too.

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