SUCCULENT LAMB IS A SUPERB MAIN ATTRACTION FOR ANY SPRING CELEBRATORY FEAST

BY CHEF DAVID BURKE

The traditional foods we serve during religious holidays often stem from our ancient history, the seasons, and staying strong and healthy. Lamb is a perfect example. Easter lamb has deep religious roots going back to preChristian times. Seasons definitely played a role, too. Before refrigeration, lamb was the first fresh meat available after a long winter.

As a kid I didn’t like lamb very much, but I have grown to love it. The best lamb I have ever eaten was the famous pré-salé lamb of France’s Atlantic coast. The lambs graze on the salt marshes and their meat is incredibly flavored with salt and sea. This lamb doesn’t need much more than a quick turn on the grill. In America most of the lamb is labeled “spring lamb” but is available year-round. It used to mean the lamb was born in the fall to be sold in the spring; now it simply means that the lamb was butchered at under a year old, preferably between three to five months for the tenderest lamb. New Zealand lamb is also marketed in America and heavily promoted throughout the year. Either is A-OK for your Easter dinner dishes.

Today you will find lamb dishes using different cuts on my Easter menus at all my restaurants. The regular menu at DRIFTHOUSE has a wonderful Lamb Shank served with polenta, roasted mushrooms, and pistachio (pictured above). The lamb shanks are braised and cooked long and slow until they are fall-off-the-bone tender, and they make a super fall, winter, or early spring dish.

And I have great news to share! We have a new executive chef at Charmello, the first woman to lead one of my kitchens.

She is directing our newly revamped menu with a coastal Italian-Mediterranean flair. Chef Toni worked for me at Fromagerie and David Burke Tavern so I know she is a skilled leader and creative chef. We are so excited to have her on board. She has a lot of experience with creating enoteca dining experiences, which starts with a wine and explores regional foods from where the grapes originate, with courses from nibbles to elaborate dishes. Chef Toni will use locally sourced seasonal products whenever possible. Expect some exciting new dishes and events including cooking classes with Chef Toni.

Happy Easter! I’m so happy and grateful to see spring.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS
Serves 6
½ cup vegetable oil
6 lamb shanks
Coarse or Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 head garlic, split into 2 pieces
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons canned tomato sauce
2 quarts homemade chicken stock, or canned chicken broth

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add lamb shanks and sear, turning from side to side until lamb is browned on all sides. Season lamb.

Drain all fat except 1 tablespoon from pot. Add garlic and vegetables and brown lightly, stirring occasionally

Add tomato sauce and stock or broth. Stir and cover pot. Simmer for about two hours or until lamb is tender. Skim fat or foam that rises to the top and discard.

After lamb shanks are tender, remove from sauce and keep warm.

Strain sauce, return liquid to pot, and reduce to about 1 ½ cups of liquid
Serve the shanks with polenta and roasted mushrooms and some of that delicious sauce.
David Burke and Carmel Berman Reingold, Cooking with David Burke, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013) p. 146-147

DRIFTHOUSE by David Burke
1485 Ocean Avenue, Sea Bright / 732.530.9760
drifthousedb.com
chefdavidburke.com