Lamb, bamb, thank you, ma'amb

I remember eating lamb as a kid and thinking of it as nothing too special. It wasn't until very recently (when I discovered braising) that I developed a newfound fascination -- nay, obsession -- with these creatures. Many are turned off from lamb because either a) they can't bear to eat something so cute and young (the meat comes from lamb that are less than a year old) or b) the taste is too "gamey" (yes, that's an actual term). If you fall into category a, there is no use in trying to persuade you that eating lamb is just as evil as eating any other animal. However, if you fall into category b, I'd like to direct you to this recipe from Epicurious.com (featured on a previous entry, Braise me up Before you Go-go), which disguises the gamey taste in red wine, onions, and shallots.

Now, if you happen to be one who enjoys, dare I say loves? the taste of game meat, I'd like to share with you an extemely quick and easy recipe that friends of mine and I enjoyed this past 4/20 holiday: pesto rubbed rack of lamb. For this recipe, you can use any pesto you'd like: classic basil pesto, mint pesto, or rosemary-parsley pesto.

Pesto Rack of Lamb

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Place racks on a half sheet pan, brownie pan, or any accomodating vessel and season them with salt and pepper.
3. Rub your pesto of choice all over the rounded side of your racks.
4. Put it in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to 400 and roast for 15 minutes more for medium-rare (yum!)
6. Let sit for 5 minutes.
7. Devour!

Happy eating, all.

Lent, concluded

As the end of the Lenten season draws near, I reflect on what the past 40 days of non-meat eating has been like. Although extremely trying at times -- cooking with meat has become such a common practice for me that suddenly eliminating it from my diet took some getting used to -- it has ultimately been very rewarding. I was able to experiment with seafood and tofu but most of all, I've come to a revelation:

Meat adds richness and depth of flavor to dishes that cannot to be duplicated by anything other than meat. This goes for sauces, glazes, soups, and curries, just to name a few. For many of these dishes, meat (whether it be in whole form or in stock form) is the primary flavoring agent. Try using a vegetable stock instead of meat stock next time for your favorite curry. Chances are, it won't be as good.

Of course, this is just my humbe opinion. There are several people out there who do not like the taste of meat (for reasons that still elude me to this day, like the people who do not like sushi). For those people, obviously, "better tasting" is an irrelevant issue.

Lent has been good to me. I've realized that there exists a world outside of meat, and it is good. While I have not become a vegetarian from this experience, I have broadened my culinary arsenal. And with that, I leave you with my recipe for quick and easy salmon that is easily customizable to your tastes.

Ingredients:
- Ovenproof skillet
- Salmon fillet(s)
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: whatever other dry seasonings you like

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Using a fillet knife, take the skin of the fillet.
3. Season both sides of fillet with salt, pepper, and whatever else you'd like. I like to add some dried red chili flakes.
4. Add enough EVOO (kill me) to coat your skillet and put it over high heat.
5. When the oil is nice and hot (throw a drop of water on it to test), put the fillet flat-side down and let it cook until that nice crust forms, about 3 minutes or so.
6. Turn the salmon over and throw it in the oven for about 6 minutes.
7. Wrap a towel around the skillet's handle to remove it and place the salmon over a bed of wilted greens, risotto, or hell, some white rice.