Dish of the Week: Mutancene
Where: Zaytinya
One thing you don’t see a lot of out there is mutton. It’s the meat from an old sheep, for those keeping score at home. Lambs are young sheep, knocked off at one-year-old or younger to ensure they’re juicy and tender when they get butterflied or made into kebab. Let the sheep live a little longer, and they become hogget (the surname for the sheep herder in Babe). Older still, past the ripe old age of two, according to Prince Charles of Wales who has a stake in this matter through a Mutton Renaissance campaign, and their flesh becomes tougher and more flavorful. It’s then called mutton.
You may find it in the occasional Indian curry or Central Asian barbecue menu, cultures where the meat has remained popular. Though if you do see it, chances are high it could also just be lamb, or a mediocre frozen import.
You will find a dish inspired by it at Zaytinya’s upcoming Grape Festival, which will run from this Sunday through October 5. The celebration includes a couple of special wine dinners, four nights with complementary tastings, a harvest party with grape stomping on its last day, and a special menu with dishes that incorporate that most special of fruits: the grape.
One dish, the mutancene is adapted from the 15th century Ottoman empire, back in the Old World, where people ate lots of mutton. A few liberties are taken in chef Michael Costa’s adaptation. Costa uses lamb, as quality mutton is hard to come by. The meat is braised with grape vinegar. And with boiling, the traditional method of finishing the meat for this dish, Costa turns to something the ancient Turks didn’t have —sous-vide. The word mutancene is derived from the Turkish word tencere which means “big casserole.” This casserole is a fruity one, including stewed apricots and prunes, whole almonds, and fresh grapes. It adds up to exactly what you want in a fruity lamb dish, the richness off the meat spiked with a little bit of acid from the vinegar and complemented by the sweetness of the fall fruits.
Why is mutton so hard to find? Some food historians chalk it up to World War II. The meat was widely used in soldiers’ rations during the war, lesser quality meat not being cooked to the highest of standards. When they came home from the battlefield, they had had their fill and mutton fell out of favor for generations of Westerners. That’s too bad for those of us who would want to experience the joys of old sheep meat cooked with more of a deft hand.
But because people don’t really want to eat mutton, restaurants don’t really want to sell mutton. And farmers don’t want to wait around for their lambs to turn into mutton. “If I could get really good mutton I would,” explains Costa. “Honestly, Craig [Rogers] at Border Springs and John [Jamison] at Jamison Farm, they won’t age it that long. For them the return on the added feed and everything doesn’t really add up.”
People love heritage, old world, retro foods these days, so It would seem the time is right for people to get over their fear of mutton. And it’s lower in fat than lamb is – so many wins! Our neighbors across the pond have the Prince of Wales pulling for it. Maybe the next First Lady can take mutton promotion on as a pet project. Until then,”lamb dressed up as mutton” is often as close as you’re going to come to eating old sheep. The concept flips the dated expression “mutton dressed up like a lamb” – a dated phrase that people maybe said before the term “milf” was coined – on its head. But that’s probably a story for a different column.
Small Bites
Team burger eating at BGR
You’re not going to take down a massive 15.4 pound burger on your own. But maybe with a little help from your friends? BGR The Burger Joint is accepting applications from teams of four to compete in a burger eating competition that will take place at Taste of DC on October 13. The team that has eaten the most of their respective nine pound patty, mound of cheese, two heads of lettuce, three red onions, four whole pickles, and BGR mojo sauce in nine minutes will win a trip to Mexico, gift cards, and a donation in their name to breast cancer research. The three teams that get the most votes on Facebook by September 26 will get to compete.
Kapnos brunch
Mike Isabella’s Kapnos begins brunch service this weekend. Saturdays and Sundays will now include his Greek-influenced takes on classics including a baklava French toast and spit-roasted chicken with waffles. Bagels and lox spreads taramasalata instead of cream cheese. The omelet has manori instead of cheddar, and even parfait adds tahini and sesame granola. Kapnos also recently added patio seating for those lovely autumn late mornings.
Fall gelato flavors
Fall means pumpkin beer and now pumpkin gelato. Dolcezza is taking the love of pumpkin to their daily gelato making. A new recipe uses heirloom neck pumpkins, traditional pie spices, and Muscovado sugar. A sweet potato pecan praline rounds out the locally sourced pie filling flavors. Those plus a maple gelato using syrup tapped from Maryland trees and toasted walnuts.
Free tequila!
El Centro D.F.’s new Georgetown location started a series of complementary tequila and mescal tastings this week. They will occur every Wednesday night from 5-7 p.m. through November 13. Many of the big boys well rotate in and out—Milagro is this upcoming week. But there are also nights featuring less widely known brands including an October 2 night featuring six different micro distilleries. Full tastings at the restaurant normally cost around $25 for three tequilas or mezcals, or more for premium selections.
Food & Folklore
Eatonville continues their Food & Folklore dinner series on Sunday night with a Homecoming event with author Marita Golden. The talk will include Golden’s stories about growing up in Washington, D.C. and her inspiration to become an author and African American literary activist. Tickets are $45 plus tax and gratuity and include a meal of gumbos, crawfish ravioli, and Mississippi mud pie.
You don’t have to wait for restaurant week
Del Campo adds a permanent prix fixe lunch option to their menu. The three-course estancia, or estate lunch, begins with a salmon crudo, or chopped salad, and gives guests the option of Peruvian chicken, hangar steak with chimichurri sauce, or grilled ricotta noquis (most would know it as gnocchi) plus dessert. The street food menu, which used to be available on Fridays only as a great to-go option, is now available every day. Chorizo and pulled pork on a baguette is $8, empanadas are $4 or $6 for a pair, plus there’s Victor Albisu’s massive chivito sandwich with ribeye, mortadella, ham, and a fried egg for $15.
