Grassfed Lamb and Pear Carpaccio
One of the things I am thankful for after starting to grow my own food is also being friends with other homesteaders, big and small, who also focus on being mindful in terms of where our food comes from and the care it takes into providing for our families. Many of them are on the Backyard Poultry Discord Server, where we share our failures and our successes at having just a little bit more food security.
The folks at RK Homestead (who I had known before they became said homestead, and are moderators on the server) raise a certain amount of animals a year for sale, and the rest for their own consumption. This year they had lamb available, so I ordered half a lamb earlier in the year (and asked them to save the organs for me as well) and eagerly awaited for Fall.
I got a message saying they were ready, so we loaded up the kids and went on a short 3 day vacation in Atlantic City, near where they lived, picking up my precious cargo on our last day and ferreted it home in a cooler in the back of the car. It was a good excuse to get out of the house.
Usually, grass-fed and grass-finished lamb tend to taste gamier, so imagine our surprise when it turned out to be very mild, with barely a hint of lamb flavor. According to them, their butcher was also very surprised. They also gave me livers and kidney (both lamb and pork), and two pork hearts. I believe I will be making some delicious Xinjiang Barbecue Skewers as well as some creamy pate with them—this is another reason why I like to support local small homesteads and farms, there is no mass waste of organ meats which are delicious and nutritious and a shame to discard.
For the meat itself, of course my first response to such fresh morsels is carpaccio—I love carpaccio and tartare and this was the recipe I was preparing for when they told me it was ready. For a sweet and crunchy foil, I left one last 20th Century Asian Pear on my pear tree, at peak ripeness to pick when we got back. A few quarters of cherry tomatoes off my tomato plants—they’re at the end their season. Tender new growth of peppermint leaves from the garden provide a fresh bite of herb. You can also sear the lamb to intensify the flavor.
I have to provide a general reminder that there is a risk of food borne illnesses when eating raw/undercooked eggs and meat, so make sure you know where your food comes from.
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 ounces thinly sliced raw lamb (or seared)
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon salt preserved lemon puree or lemon zest and juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 ounces thinly sliced Asian pear
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 – 3 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- Mint leaves, for garnish. Alternatively chives, dill, or shallots can be used
- Arrange the pear and the sliced lamb on a chilled plate.
- Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with herbs, tomato, lemon, capers, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.