{"id":6018,"date":"2014-04-15T11:15:51","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T10:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/?p=6018"},"modified":"2014-08-06T15:12:12","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T14:12:12","slug":"spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/6018\/spring\/","title":{"rendered":"James Whelan Butchers: Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

The stretch in the evenings, the early morning sunshine, a carpet of colour in the fields; spring has sprinkled its magic everywhere.\u00a0 The minute the clocks go forward it heralds the promise of all things outdoors.\u00a0 Suddenly those lonely looking tables outside urban coffee shops are spilling over with people and life and not just those battling the elements in order to get a nicotine hit.<\/p>\n

Just like the way the evenings seem to have shrugged off the darkness, we get to shed a little as well.\u00a0 The concern for the coat, the gloves and the scarves are gone.\u00a0 Lighter clothes and shoes are called for, bare arms and legs start to make little appearances; there are always a few with the shorts and t-shirts to hand in order to test the temperature for the rest of us.<\/p>\n

\"Lamb<\/p>\n

Even if it\u2019s not quite time to clean off the grills, these brighter evenings call for a slightly lighter touch in the kitchen.\u00a0 While the weather is always better when Easter falls later, it can also inform the Easter Sunday lunch menu.\u00a0 My own personal view is to keep it simple.\u00a0 In my opinion keeping it simple is one of the greatest life lessons.\u00a0 Just keep it simple and apply that to everything in life, including the kitchen.\u00a0 For example a good quality, flavoursome piece of meat and the freshest vegetables you can find are often all you need to have them cheering in the aisles.\u00a0 The difficulty is that somewhere along the line simplicity was traded for the smoke and mirrors antics of the celebrity chef.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The idea that some things can never be reproduced in a domestic kitchen to any great degree of competency is nonsense.<\/p>\n

I love lamb<\/a> at this time of year.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s traditional, but it just conjures spring in the taste buds.\u00a0 However traditional needn\u2019t mean boring or samey.\u00a0 For example this Easter why not try a rack of lamb<\/a> rather than a leg of lamb?\u00a0 This is something that is often seen as only perfected by the professional.\u00a0 The key to this is buying the best lamb you can get your hands on and then following the traditional rules of cooking it.\u00a0 With a little preparation, the meat itself and the oven do all the work!\u00a0 The same theory applies to the accompaniments.\u00a0 Two excellently chosen sides will trump quantity or variety any day.<\/p>\n

So why are people so afraid of rack of lamb?\u00a0 I suppose it is considered quite a luxurious dish, probably stemming from the fact that it is the most tender part of the lamb and therefore considered quite exclusive. It also has quite a regal look about it and that\u2019s why sometimes you see those little paper hats covering the ribs.\u00a0 Preparing the rack involves cleaning the fat of those \u2018sticky out\u2019 bones, (this technique is called \u2018frenching\u2019) however, if you go to a good butcher they will do that for you.\u00a0 I would suggest three to four cutlets per person.<\/p>\n

\"Leg<\/a>Take your time when preparing the lamb<\/a>.\u00a0 I like to coat it in a little oil mixture that I make using olive oil, chopped fresh rosemary, two garlic cloves (chopped) and a pinch of mustard powder.\u00a0 I lightly coat the rack with this mixture and then I heat some oil in an oven proof pan and sear the meat.\u00a0 Do not put the meat into the pan until it is good and hot and then be very careful not to let it burn.\u00a0 It will only take approximately 2 minutes on each side to sear.\u00a0 Do not leave it go past 3 minutes or you could be in trouble.\u00a0\u00a0 Once it is seared, wipe any excess fat from the meat, cover the bone tips with a little tinfoil to stop them going black during cooking and put the meat, bone side down onto an oven proof dish ready for the preheated oven.\u00a0 You could, if you wanted to, roll the whole piece in breadcrumbs at this point, but that is optional.<\/p>\n

\"Painted<\/p>\n

Usually you are trying to achieve a nice brown colour on the outside with a little pink still in the centre of each cutlet.\u00a0 Have the oven preheated and then the general rule of thumb is 20 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium rare; the latter being my preference.\u00a0 \u00a0Once again I make the comment about owning a meat thermometer.\u00a0 It is a foolproof way of checking if the meat is cooked through and no kitchen should be without one.\u00a0 It should be left to rest for 10 to 20 minutes before carving and for a real sense of theatre, carve at the table!\u00a0 I prefer to cut and plate up out of sight, but don\u2019t let me stop the showman in you.<\/p>\n

At James Whelan Butchers we take particular pride in our naturally reared, wholesome Tipperary lamb with its deep red colour and remarkably sweet, grass fed taste.\u00a0 There are several spring lamb recipes and serving ideas on our website so do check that out also and don\u2019t let anyone tell you that a perfect rack of lamb is only achievable in a restaurant.\u00a0 Try it out this weekend and see if home cooking a rack of lamb is not only delicious but tremendous value too.\u00a0 The only thing for afters at Easter is a chocolate egg, which couldn\u2019t be simpler.\u00a0 Enjoy the indulgence. Happy Easter.<\/p>\n

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of \u00a0James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin.\u00a0Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The stretch in the evenings, the early morning sunshine, a carpet of colour in the fields; spring has sprinkled its magic everywhere.\u00a0 The minute the clocks go forward it heralds the promise of all things outdoors.\u00a0 Suddenly those lonely looking tables outside urban coffee shops are spilling over with people and life and not just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[25],"tags":[29,48,27,47,237,238],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n