“What’s Cooking?”
When you read this post, I will be well on my way to Germany to spend the holidays with my bf’s family. Weeee! Hello, Christmas markets, get ready here I come!
I’m also saying a fond farewell to this delectable lamb meal. You sure were cute, but I’m sorry baby lamb meat, you were also completely scrumptious.
Aren’t these two incredibly pretty pieces of meat? I included the brussels sprout to give you a better idea of the size of these darlings.
According to Wikipedia:
“Milk-Fed lamb is meat from an unweaned lamb, typically 4-6 weeks old and weighing 5.5 to 8 kg; this is almost unavailable in countries such as the USA and the UK, where it is considered uneconomic. The flavour and texture of milk-fed lamb when grilled (such as the tiny lamb chops known as chuletillas in Spain) or roasted (lechazo asado or cordero lechal asado) is generally thought to be finer than that of older lamb. The areas in northern Spain where this can be found include Asturias, Cantabria, Castile and León, and La Rioja. Milk-fed lambs are especially prized for Easter in Greece, when they are roasted on a spit.”
It doesn’t take much to prepare the lamb – extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper!
Vibrant winter vegetables – Potatoes, brussels sprouts, turnips, carrots and shallots. Add more olive oil, salt and pepper to these too, plus some fresh chopped rosemary.
After spending around 35-40 mins in a 200°C (almost 400°F) oven, it is all golden brown and ready to be served! Here, bf used a baster to extract the juices out of the roasting pan to start a simple gravy (add a nice roux to the juices).
All of the vegetables came out exquisitely roasted. The shallots were divine, they were caramelized to perfection and had a mild, nutty and creamy flavor.
Tender doesn’t even come close to describing the meat of this lamb. It’s, dare I say, almost too tender! It quite, literally, melts in your mouth.
I’m not sure if milk-fed lamb is readily available in your area, but it’s something that is few and far between in San Francisco, while here in Marbella we get these two beauties for a mere 16€ ($21) at our local butcher. I can’t imagine how much this would cost if it ever became available at Whole Foods (aka “Whole Paycheck”)!
I hope to write a few posts while I’m in Germany, but you’ll understand if I lag behind as I’ll be busy with all of the festivities and…let’s face it…I’ll probably be slightly knee deep in Glühwein. If you’re not familiar, no need to look it up as I’ll be talking about it soon…and often. For those of you familiar, all I can say is, “lucky you!”.
But don’t worry, I’ll play catch up when I return and you’ll be seeing all of my eats, treats and travels throughout my time in Germany!
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If you’d like a sneak peak of where I’m visiting in Germany, see it here!
a conscious appetite 