Eating In: Local Organic Lamb
Local. Organic. Butcher. There are few things in life that excite us the way that those three words do. One reason being that we like to support local purveyors, two organic is always good, and three we love us some good meat! But where does one find such a place? Although more organic markets are popping up, organic butchers still seem few and far between. We were lucky enough to get a tip on The Organic Butcher located in McLean. Before we go any further we know what you’re thinking- “McLean?!?!” We realize that it is outside the beltway and were a little hesitant at first, but once we experienced some of the best lamb we ever had it completely justified the trip. Any so-called “foodie” would understand that sometimes to find the good stuff you have to put a little more effort into it than walking two blocks from your house (but not to worry, they are shopping around for a spot to open a D.C. location). That being said, back to subject at hand.
The Organic Butcher, which opened a little over a year ago, is a family owned business that specializes in serving local certified organic product. Most of their meats come from Virginia farmers--though some do come from Pennsylvania--and they butcher most of the product themselves. In addition to what you find in their display cases, they also have an extensive list of game items, such as pheasant and rabbit, and usually have some offal, a.k.a. organ meats, up for grabs. Should you feel the desire for a little surf and turf, you can also pick up some seafood while there. If you’re in hurry and need to make it a one-stop shop, you can pick up a bottle of wine, cheese sent from Cowgirl Creamery, and bread from Firehook all right there.
We spent most of our time ogling the house made sausages and the dry-aged beef before we decided on the lamb loin, per recommendation from Don the butcher. On our drive home is when we contemplated what to do with our soon to be devoured protein. It was clear that in order to showcase the quality of the lamb, we needed to not overwhelm it with any chilies, poblanos, or jalapeños à la Bobby Flay. Therefore this week’s Eating In is a simple Seared Lamb Loin with Rosemary Jus and a side of Roasted Brocolini with Bleu Cheese. Serve this up with a quality Côtes-du-Rhône and call it a night!
Shopping List:
2 pounds lamb loin chops
1 ½ cups of organic (if you choose) beef broth
1 skewer of fresh rosemary
2 bunches of Brocolini
1 medium shallot
4 cloves of garlic
¼ pound bleu cheese
Cornstarch
Extra virgin olive oil
Recipes:
Rosemary Jus
1. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and 1 medium shallot. Rough chop rosemary. Combine all of this with 1 ½ cups cold beef broth in a small pot. Place on a medium/high heat on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat.
2. Once the sauce cools slightly, strain it. Return the sauce to a small pot.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 1 ½ tablespoon of water and whisk into the sauce. Return the sauce to a medium/high heat and simmer for 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a little water to thin it out. If it is too thin, adjust with a little more cornstarch and water mixture. Season sauce with salt and pepper to your taste.
Brocolini:
1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees.
2. Thin slice 2 cloves of garlic. Untie bunches of brocolini and place in a roasting pan. Add sliced garlic and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 5-7 minutes until brocolini is tender.
Finishing:
4. Heat a medium sized sauté pan to a medium/high temperature. Season both sides of the lamb chops with salt and pepper.
5. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and place the lamb in the pan. Sear each side for roughly 3-4 minutes to achieve a medium rare center.
6. Crumble the bleu cheese on top of the brocolini and put back in the oven to slightly melt the cheese.
7. Serve with the sauce on the side or right on top and enjoy.