Not Exactly a Chop, But Who Cares?
Most ranchers and farmers know how to inseminate a sheep or plow a furrow, respectively, but often don’t know what to do with their progeny: pigs feet, beef tongue, kohlrabi, cabbage, or in this case, lamb neck chops, are ciphers.
The adorable lamb rancher Merrit Monnat of M&P Ranch gave me a quizzical look, a slight tip of her head, like a sheep dog waiting for a command.
“How do you prepare these lamb neck chops?” she asked at the farmers market, her sheep tallow soap and wool yarn laid out on her table. The lamb, in various cuts listed on a chalk board, were hiding out, frozen, in coolers.
“Well first off, I would have to say, they aren’t chops, not in the traditional sense. You have to cook them low and slow, like oxtail or short ribs,” I said.
Merrit rolled her eyes. “I know! But we couldn’t come up with a better name.”
We pondered that a bit. She handed me a package of four “neck chops.” I promised her, if not a name for the cut, then at least, a recipe.
Salt and pepper the lamb neck pieces; set aside. Peel the carrot and celeriac. Dice the carrot, celeriac and turnip into ¾ inch dice. Mince the onion or shallot. Peel and slice the garlic.
In a cast iron or stainless steel skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering, add the lamb neck pieces, and sear on medium heat until they are brown on one side, then turn them over. After you’ve turned the lamb neck, add the onion and garlic to the pan. After the other side browns, remove the lamb to a 2-3 quart covered dutch oven. In the skillet, sprinkle the Aleppo spice mix over the onions and garlic, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the wine and chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits. Dump in the carrot, celeriac, turnip, apricots and raisins, toss in a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a simmer. Pour over the lamb in the dutch oven. Cover and braise in a 325 oven until the lamb is very tender, 90-120 minutes. Remove from the oven and fish out the four lamb neck pieces. Place on a plate and allow to come to room temperature. Remove the meat from the bones and add back into the Dutch oven. Stir all together.
Garbanzo Bean Saute
1 teaspoon salt
When the lamb is done and out of the oven, prepare the garbanzo beans. Thinly slice the scallions. In a 2-quart sauce pan, heat the olive oil until shimmering, and add the garbanzo beans, parsley and scallions, and saute for about 1 minute. Add the tahini, lemon juice, chicken stock and salt, and stir together. Turn off and set aside.
Cucumber Tzatziki
1 small shallot
Dice the skin-on cucumber into very small pieces. Mince the shallot. Mix the cucumber, shallot and parsley with the yogurt, and salt and pepper to taste.
Adapted from The Aleppo Cookbook by Marlene Matar
Ms. Matar’s The Aleppo Cookbook is an excellent exploration of Syria’s lovely cuisine. I always have this spice mix in my pantry now, and it is perfect for lamb. This is most delicious if you use whole spices and grind them in a spice grinder, but pre-ground is not going to get you any demerits.
Two passions: food, words. Some days, it’s a tug of war, some days, a peaceful coexistence.
Best day ever? Create it, cook it, eat it, write about it. I sold my restaurant, Nora’s Table, in 2015, and now I can be possessed by anything in the long day that I choose: writing 400 words, creating the next menu for the Chefs Collective at Ruby June Inn, teaching a cooking class at Jacob Williams Winery, or tromping through the fields with farmer Laurel Bouret.
A rainy afternoon with a foundational cookbook, such as Marlene Mater’s fabulous “Allepo Cookbook” or Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn’s “Charcuterie” can feed my spirit and spark my creative power. So can reading Maggie Shipstead, Michael Chabon or Alison Kraus.
I live in Hood River, Oregon, with Stuart, also known as the Happy Meal Man. In other words, all I can desire. And then there’s Satchel, our six-year old Idaho Shag who is simply the world’s best dog. We run together, and sometimes, we even let Stu join us.
Our oldest daughter Annie and grandson Levi live in Eugene, Oregon. Annie is cooking in restaurants, like her Mom. Son Max and his wife Hannah and our granddaughter Shiloh are in Portland, where he is a school principal. It’s a good tribe, all the way around.
