Yellowed aspen leaves are blowing about on my back patio telling me that I better get to all those grilling recipes I have planned.  One recipe that I have been planning is Lamb Kebabs, but alas, September 18th and the bamboo sticks were still in the drawer.  No longer.

I started out thinking about doing a tandoori dry rub for the lamb.  I still believe this would be delicious, but with 2 tablespoons of paprika in the bowl I discovered a complete lack of cumin.  Oh, the trials of frequent lamb cooking.  Lamb marinade it is.

Quick Lamb Marinade

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons of chopped oregano
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large sealable container
Add 2 lbs cubed lamb sirloin or lamb shoulder
Cover and shake to coat
Refrigerate  overnight

For the vegetables:
Use whatever vegetables  you have available
I coated them in olive oil, salt and pepper and let them sit overnight

The next day:
Heat grill to medium high
Skewer the meat and vegetables in colorful patterns
Grill for 12-15 minutes total; flipping halfway through cooking

Yes, we have lambs in our Labor Day Parade in Bellevue.  Photo by Sara Sheehy

Last time, we broke out the primal cuts of lamb.  Do you remember what they are?

• Shoulder
• Breast
• Rack
• Loin
• Leg

Lets jump right in, starting with the shoulder.  The shoulder tends to be an underutilized cut of lamb, partially because it takes slightly more work to prepare and a bit more patience to cook.  Don’t plan on just taking it out to the grill 20 minutes before the guests arrive.

A couple of cuts that you may see in your local butcher shop are:

• Boneless Shoulder – Square cut shoulder with bones removed (can be rolled, stuffed, or cubed for stews) Recipe
• Blade Chop – Cut from blade portion of the shoulder containing part of blade bone (good for braising, panfrying, or grilling) Recipe
• Arm Chop – Cut from arm portion of shoulder contains part of the arm bone (prepared similarly to Blade Chops Recipe
• Stew Meat - Cut from boneless shoulder into cubes (perfect for stews and kebobs) Recipe

If you are lucky your butcher might also carry:

photo from www.pigpigscorner.com

• Square Cut Shoulder - Full front quarter include the arm, blade and rib bones (usually roasted) Recipe
• Lamb Neck – Slices from the neck including bone (usually braised) Recipe

I can’t believe that summer has gone by so fast.  Though we are not quite to golden aspen leaves, the weather here today says that they are not far off.

The Meeting of the Wild and Domestic

I am getting married tomorrow.  Sara Sheehy, the creator of many images that have adorned these blog pages and I are back in New Hampshire preparing for our garden wedding and harbor side reception.  It is very nice to be back on the ocean for a few days and see all our friends and family, and not to mention the anticipation of marrying my perfect companion.

When we decided to get married back on the east coast there were a few elements of Idaho that we knew that we would have to bring back with us.  Sara is wearing cowgirl boots with her wedding dress and we are going to be serving Lava Lake Lamb at our reception.

I am picky and think that a sit down dinner tends to break up an event and confine people to their tables.  For our reception we threw out the plated dinner and the tables completely.  Passed hors d’oeuvres will be the order of the night.  Lava Lake Lamb will be part of the reception with Moroccan spiced lamb meatballs.  I am very excited to share the lamb with my family.

We can’t wait for our bit of Idaho wedding in New Hampshire.