Grass-Fed Lamb Chops

I was at the market already so it was pretty hard to resist the lamb chops from 3-Corner Field Farm. It’s lambing season soon and they won’t be back in the market until June. I picked up four chops that cost $30 with a big knob of sheep’s milk cheese covered in herbs de Provence. The lamb was just slaughtered and packed immediately–I could tell as soon as I unwrapped them at home. Unlike the chops I buy from my neighborhood grocery store, the meat hasn’t been in storage for a long time and it tasted like it, too.

I cook a lot of lamb at home. I’ve cooked it with Indian spices. I’ve served it with corn pudding. I’ve tried it the Julia Child way. This time, I wanted to keep it simple. I mixed some olive oil and balsamic vinegar with minced garlic and fresh rosemary and brushed it on the chops. I broiled them for about ten minutes per side. They were done as soon as I poked them–soft, but firm. (Remember the meat of your palm right below your thumb.) I took them out of the oven and let them sit for five more minutes to finish cooking while I tossed some greens with the sheep’s milk cheese. We finished a bottle of red Loire wine with it.

Ingredients:
3 grass-fed lamb chops
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 sprigs of rosemary
1 cup balsamic vinegar
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350º. In the meantime, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and marinate the lamb chops in it.
2. When ready to cook, roast lamb chops for 10 minutes per side. They’re perfect when the meat feels like the palm right below your thumb. Remove from oven to a chopping block and let rest for five minutes.

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Where to get grass-fed lamb chops and sheep’s milk cheese
More lamb recipes

Grass-fed Beef Steak

I tip-toed on freshly-fallen snow at the farmers’ market to buy some grass-fed beef. I stopped by the New York Beef Company tent and met John to ask about what he was offering. My hands were already cold, but I looked through his frozen bags to buy the best-looking steak I can get for dinner. I know everyone’s been on the grass-fed wagon already but unfortunately, I find food items with organic or sustainable or grass-fed or free-range labels expensive. If you’re like me, then you also buy food items at least once a week. They all add up to a very expensive grocery bill each month. Plus, the only farmers’ market easily accessible to me is the one at Union Square, and even though I work downtown, I find it a hassle to stop by.

The New York Beef sells 100% grass-fed steak, prime rib, roasts and other fine cuts of beef. I got a nice steak for about $22. The Dr. covered it with some salt, pepper and minced garlic and broiled both sides until it was tender–poke the meat of your palm below your thumb; that’s how it should feel for medium-rare–and we ate it with oyster mushrooms sautéed in goose fat served on a bed of arugula and mixed greens. A bottle of Cabernet was the perfect match. I realized later that it was John who left me a message last year when I spent $14 on a piece of sirloin steak from Dean & Deluca. If he’s reading this, I hope he’s proud. His beef not only looked beautiful, it was delicious, too.

Ingredients:
1 beef steak
6 garlic cloves, minced
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Massage beef steak with all the other ingredients.
2. When ready to cook, broil beef steak in oven set to high until medium-rare. They’re perfect when the meat feels like the palm right below your thumb. Remove from oven to a chopping block and let rest for five minutes.

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Where to get grass-fed beef steak

Where to eat in Portland, Oregon: clarklewis

I was listening to the controversies surrounding clarklewis over a round of cocktails. The owners were the stars of Portland’s food scene until they divorced which resulted in two of their restaurants closing. Some thought clarklewis was too loud and too dark when it first opened, but there are still the fanatics who remain loyal and still frequent the restaurant’s supper events even with all the new choices cropping up in the area. It remains one of Sam and Jenny’s favorites, so they booked a table for the six of us our first night in Portland. I first reacted to the space because it used to be an old warehouse along Water Avenue. It reminded me of the small galleries that moved out of Manhattan and rented open spaces for less money in DUMBO, Brooklyn. I’ve always liked that unfinished industrial look. As soon as we were seated, I turned to look around me and I immediately liked the buzz. It wasn’t too loud and it sounded like everyone else was having a good time. The menu consisted of very simple choices. There were familiar salads and pasta dishes that already sounded good on paper. We decided to get several half orders of them to share with the entire table, but by the time they were served, there was hardly any sharing going around. We all wanted to claim our own.

The duck and parmesan salad was excellent. You can’t go wrong with fresh produce and good cheese peppered with small pieces of roasted duck. The endives were slathered with brown sugar which made them sweet, but at the same time very nutty. The fennel salad with the navel oranges and olives was by far my favorite. The bowl of clams was deliciously hearty. I was using the sausage-flavored broth as dip for the bread. If we didn’t run out of bread on the table, I would have been set for the night. The lamb chops were to die for. I had the same dish the previous night at Celilo, but my craving wasn’t fulfilled until we cleaned our plates. I found the broccoli an uninspiring accompaniment, however, but fortunately, Dave’s tagliatelle and Carmie’s beef stew in pasta filled us all up. A bottle of Italian wine was a good compliment to everything we ordered and our choices of desserts were the perfect end to a long, satisfying meal with friends.

clarklewis is at 1001 SE Water Avenue in Portland, Oregon. Call 503/235.2294 for reservations. They are closed on Sundays and Mondays.

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Eating in Hood River, Oregon: Celilo

Where to eat in Portland, Oregon: Yakuza

I figured as much, Ian said, after I told him I was from New York City. Each sushi on the menu was priced at $2. Two dollars! I’m used to paying $5 a piece and up to $11 for an otoro, so you can imagine the kind of gasp I let out that elicited such a comment from Ian, the sushi chef. We had three hours before our flight back to the concrete jungle, so Sam decided to take us to one of his favorite sushi places in Portland before driving us to the airport. Three of us sat at the sushi bar in the back and ordered the omakase with several kinds of sake. Ian performed the rest of the night.

Pine nuts gave the tombo tuna tartare more texture. Lotus root chips and endives were used to scoop them up. If sports bars served snacks like this, I’d be watching more sports. Next came the tuna and salmon carpaccio with finely chopped shiso leaf and a cute toasted garlic sliver on top. I was surprised at how the garlic gave a nice kick to the big pieces of sashimi. The amberjack was folded like a fortune cookie, served with chives and chili threads. Just a touch of sweet soy gave the fish its needed moisture. The salmon sushi was just salmon sushi and the yellowtail was just yellowtail, but that may be why Ian thought about making the next dish so complicated: he spiced up some octopus, wrapped it in seaweed, wrapped that in tuna and topped everything with tobiko.

When I thought we were done, the Dr. asked to taste the scallops. So Ian created a big roll for him while he indulged me with the most decadent shot of sake I’ve ever had–it had swimming oyster, uni and raw quail egg in it. (That was for the reader who told me to try oyster shooter the next time I get a chance.) As usual, we ended with a maki of shiso leaf to cleanse the palate, but Sam opted for the French toast with maple syrup and whipped cream. Sam thought he was also on vacation.

There was nothing sublime about the fish at Yakuza but everything was fresh and beautifully cut. Ian gave us his complete attention during our time at the sushi bar and made us visitors feel like there’s no reason to go back home. At less than $190 for all the fish we ate and all the sake we drank, even I couldn’t complain. Did I already say that the west coast is starting to become more appealing?

Yakuza is at 5411 NE 30th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. We walked in without reservations, but for busier nights, call 503/450.0893.

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Eating in Portland, Oregon: clarklewis

Where to eat in Hood River, Oregon: Celilo

After a half-day of snowboarding for the first time in two years, we were famished. Next to the Oak Street Hotel was Brian’s Pourhouse. It came recommended by the front desk, but we decided to skip it after we noticed the TV at the bar. Across the street was Three Rivers Grill. We crossed to check out the menu but stopped halfway after we saw the large sign up front: “Buy one steak, get another free. Wednesday nights.” During our drive down from Mt. Hood, I remembered seeing a restaurant that looked nice, so I coerced the Dr. to walk a few more blocks to check it out. (Our legs were sore, so walking took some convincing.) As soon as we saw that there were lamb chops on the menu, we walked in Celilo.

We knew we wanted a local Pinot Noir. We only ordered half of the Elk Cove because we wanted to start with a dirty martini–the Dr.’s latest drink–and the pear-flavored champagne, described as “pure Oregon in a glass”. We started with half a dozen of the oysters. A year ago, there was a warning not to eat oysters from the Pacific Northwest. I haven’t heard any bad news since then but they were as salty and sweet as I remember them. The pear and walnut salad was hefty, just the way I like my salads. And the lamb? Much better than I expected. The chops came with braised shoulder, which made the dish more than perfect for winter. For dessert, we stuck with our usual pick, a tart tarte (ha!), a homemade combination of huckleberry filling and vanilla ice cream.

The service was nice. There’s just no other way to describe the attitude of food servers outside New York City. I can call them “slow”, but I know that’s unfair since New York is the only city I’ve been that’s in a perpetual hurry. Regardless of the place, when I ask for medium-rare, I expect medium-rare. Celilo fulfilled everything we asked for except the dirty in the Dr.’s martini, but at $104 for two including tip, I turn most of the Cia off. I play nice in return. The martini stayed clean.

Celilo Restaurant and Bar is at 16 Oak Street in Hood River, Oregon. We walked in without reservations, but during busy season, call 541/386.5710.

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Eating in Portland, Oregon: Yakuza