As Gretchen mentioned, veal and lamb are usually pretty expensive. However, with regards to lamb, the fore shank is usually the least expensive and yield a lot of meat. When they are braised the meat is very, very tender. I sort of came up with this on my own. Since eating lamb shanks can be rather awkward (they're about the size of a turkey drumstick) I decided to remove most of the meat from the bone at the end of braising and serve it sort of like a stew. You don't have to do that, of course. If you thicken the sauce enough you can just serve it over the whole shanks.sassy said:I've never made or even eaten veal or lamb before but would love to try. Are there any good recipes out there for a beginner?
Gretchen said:Veal is a VERY mild meat--it needs the flavor of its sauces or a lot of garlic as in veal marsala, etc. It is also very expensive.
Lamb, on the other hand, expensive also, is a sort of meat that most people either love it or hate it--very little wiggle room in the middle. It does have a very distinctive flavor.
If I were you I would get a nice pair of lamb loin chops, marinate them in some olive oil, garlic and rosemary and grill them over charcoal, preferably.
Serve withsome nice roasted new potatoes, a green salad and some peas or asparagus--a restaurant meal you would pay big bucks for.
See how you like that.
For veal, veal marsala is VERY good. Veal cutlets need to be pounded for tenderness, cooked VERY quickly and not over cooked or they will be dry and tough.
Of course! I already know I love lamb But where I live for some reason the shanks are usually cheaper than a package of chops (they sell the chops in packs of 2 or 4). A month or so ago I did run across a lamb leg steak, which I'd never seen before. Just had one small round bone right in the middle. It was cheaper than anything else, even a pound of hamburger so I bought it. I marinated it in a little white wine, a dash of olive oil, minced garlic, dried rosemary and salt & pepper. Did it on my stovetop grill, medium-rareish. (It's important not to overcook cuts like chops.) It was tasty! It was also big enough for me to get two meals out of it.Gretchen said:While I LOVE lamb shanks, they are also expensive and time consuming to fix since it needs to be a long slow braise. But that is not the principal reason I suggested a chop. Just find out right away if the meat is to your liking. A chop will do it. Shanks can also be a bit more "tasty" (read gamey).
FraidKnot said:Of course! I already know I love lamb But where I live for some reason the shanks are usually cheaper than a package of chops (they sell the chops in packs of 2 or 4). A month or so ago I did run across a lamb leg steak, which I'd never seen before. Just had one small round bone right in the middle. It was cheaper than anything else, even a pound of hamburger so I bought it. I marinated it in a little white wine, a dash of olive oil, minced garlic, dried rosemary and salt & pepper. Did it on my stovetop grill, medium-rareish. (It's important not to overcook cuts like chops.) It was tasty! It was also big enough for me to get two meals out of it.
Gretchen said:Lamb shanks are usually in the neighborhood of $3-5.99/lb. here so one is $6+ which makes a hearty serving.
You can ask your supermarket to sell you the number of chops you want, unless they are packaged in that factory sealed type of tray package that has taken hold in mass market stores.
That leg chop is a tasty cut also. LOVE lamb.
Gretchen said:hate those supermarket already in the tray package. They don't give you much of a choice with lamb.
Just to be clear, I was referring to the WalMart foods style of packaging that is all pre-done. All of our regular supermarkets break down any package in their case to what you want to buy--one or two chops, etc. Yours will also, won't they?
Heh. Let me tell you a little story. Back in 1999, right on the anniversary of Y2K (thank goodness the world didn't end!)... I wanted 1/4 pound of ground pork to make Thai steamed dumplings, which is one of my signature dishes. So I went to the grocery store. Hmmm, no ground pork. I asked the butcher, could you grind me some pork? He said no, don't we have any of that pre-wrapped Hormel stuff out there? Um, no.Gretchen said:hate those supermarket already in the tray package. They don't give you much of a choice with lamb.
Just to be clear, I was referring to the WalMart foods style of packaging that is all pre-done. All of our regular supermarkets break down any package in their case to what you want to buy--one or two chops, etc. Yours will also, won't they?
Only if they have it on hand. Doesn't matter anyway; I can't afford lamb right now unless I luck into a deal like that leg steak I found in October. I've been unemployed since April, 2004 not for lack of sending out resumes, posting my resume on two "career" web sites, applying for jobs for which I'm over-qualified (clerking at retail establishments). There just isn't much out there for a middle-aged woman. They don't want to hire someone who expects a living wage when they can hire someone right out of (or still in) college who (a) still lives at home or (b) has a couple of roommates and thinks $18K is a great deal of money!Gretchen said:hate those supermarket already in the tray package. They don't give you much of a choice with lamb.
Just to be clear, I was referring to the WalMart foods style of packaging that is all pre-done. All of our regular supermarkets break down any package in their case to what you want to buy--one or two chops, etc. Yours will also, won't they?