Food Service Tips

Cooking Techniques

Certain cooking techniques help ensure that American lamb remains its light and lean best. We recommend using these techniques with lamb:


Trim all visible fat from meat. Baste with wine, unsalted broth or fruit juices. Avoid fatty drippings. Broil or grill lamb on a rack. To fry or stir-fry, use a non-stick cooking pan coated with no-stick cooking spray. Place lamb on a rack when roasting, braising or preparing lamb meatloaf. Use a fat-free mixture for marinating or basting lamb. To brown or sauté lamb, use about half of the oil called for in a recipe.		Dress up lamb entrees with reduced-fat yogurt of sour cream mixed with fresh or dried mint. When a lamb dish calls for a cream sauce, replace whole milk of cream with skim or lowfat milk. Mix equal amounts of mint jelly and naturally sweetened orange marmalade to serve with lamb. Instead of using condensed cream soup to make a lamb casserole, prepare a sauce using skim milk thickened with cornstarch.

Seasonings

Seasonings and cooking ideas for lamb are limited only by the imagination. Lamb can be flavored with curry powder for a taste of India. Lamb seasoned with oregano and garlic echoes the flavors of Greece. Lamb also can be prepared to reflect the cooking styles of regional America. Jalapenos will add a taste of the Southwest. Or lamb might be prepared California-style using garlic and fresh thyme.

Grilling With Herbs

Soak branches of fresh or dried herbs, such as basil, thyme, tarragon, sage or oregano, in water for about one hour. Shake herbs dry and place on hot coals just before adding foods to be grilled. The herbs will add flavor and aroma.

Lamb is delicious with a wide variety of seasonings including:

allspice
basil
bay leaf
caraway
cinnamon
cloves
coriander
curry
dill
garlic

marjoram
mint
mustard
oregano
paprika
parsley
pepper
rosemary
thyme

Easy ways to use the seasonings:

Rub a mixture of herbs on lamb before broiling or roasting.
Cut several small slits at one-inch intervals over the surface of lamb and insert garlic slivers.
Mix herbs with ground lamb and form patties or a loaf.
Marinate lamb with a blend of seasonings and wine or dry sherry.
Add seasonings to lamb stews, soups and casseroles.
Baste or brush lamb with a mixture of herbs and broth.
Coat lamb with a mixture of herbs and fruit jelly before roasting.