Churro Lamb & Baby Limas with Karly Syrah

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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Tonight’s dinner was Churro Lamb Shoulder Chops (the package said Loin Chops, oh well), oven-broiled, seasoned with garlic and black pepper; and finished with lamb demi-glace, rosemary, and Bual. Veggie was baby lima beans, cooked in chicken stock with garlic and marjoram, and finished with butter, sea salt, and black pepper. It was enjoyed with a 1996 Karly Amador County Syrah - dark garnet in color; bright nose and flavors of mixed berry fruit, tannins fully resolved; ripe berry mid-palate; and a medium long berry finish; very good with the rich lamb. Tonight was an early Spring evening, with high clouds, a salmon-colored sunset, and Schubert songs, piano sonatas, and piano trios playing during dinner.

Then for dessert, while watching episodes of House, Burn Notice, & Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives (via TiVo), we had a ripe Bosc pear and a crisp Pink Lady Apple, with Banfi Grappa di Brunello and (for a change, since were were running low on Grappas), a Milagro Single-Barrel Reserve Añejo. For me the Banfi is a bit hot, so the Añejo was surprisingly enjoyable with both the apple and the pear. Carollee preferred the Grappa with the pear and the Añejo with the apple.

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sounds nice Dick, but what’s the significance of Churro?

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It’s a long corrugated stick of lamb meat, deep fried, and rolled in cinnamon sugar

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Ooooh.

NOM NOM NOM

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Churro Sheep are descendants of the sheep that the original Spanish settlers of the area brought with them, 400 years ago. They were taken over by the Navajos and raised for wool and food. They are smaller and hardier than ‘normal’ sheep. The have long mostly straight coats and four horns. We get a half a lamb each Spring from a vet who raises them. The meat is richer and a bit tougher than other lambs. The lambs are close to a year old when they are slaughtered. I marinate all cuts except for rib and loin chops, to help tenderize them.

Shepherd’s Lamb, which we get from a local grower, is a cross between Churro and a heritage Colorado breed. It is more tender and only a little less flavorful than Churro.