Sometimes your body craves a dish that is going to stick to your ribs a little bit. I love myself a hearty stew, and this one is free of potatoes, cream, and all the other bad stuff that usually accompanies stew. The fun thing about lamb osso bucco is that it is obviously made with lamb, so the flavors are very unique from what you would expect. This is an Italian dish and is delicious when served over polenta. 

Ingredients: 
2 pounds lamb shank, cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup white wine
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped
5 sprigs fresh thyme 
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions: 
Heat oil in large la creuset type pan over high heat. Pat your lamb pieces dry, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge pieces in flour and add to pan. Sear on all sides until crispy and golden brown (under 10 minutes). Remove meat from pat. Cook your veggies with salt for 2-3 minutes, then add tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine, add your broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Add your lamb back into the pan, cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Garnish with lemon zest, and parsley. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve over polenta if desired. 

Bon Apetite! 

One of my favorite spring time meals is grilled leg of lamb. There is something so fresh and springy about it. Paired with asparagus and you have the perfect Sunday dinner for Spring. This meat has a ton of wonderful deep flavor, and builds a lovely crispy crust on the outer edge. If you are not familiar with cooking with lamb, don't be intimidated, its just as easy to prepare as steak, it just needs to rest a bit long at the end. 

Ingredients: 
6 lb boneless leg of lamb
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp fresh lavender
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
lavender salt and pepper

Mix your marinade ingredients and lamb in a large tupperware and let it sit overnight. Remove your lamb from the fridge 1 hour prior to grilling. When ready to grill, remove your lamb from the marinade and sprinkle it liberally with salt and pepper. Grill on medium high heat for about 15 minutes per side. Let rest for at least 20 minutes prior to cutting it, and be sure to slice against the grain of the meat. 

Hope you enjoy this hearty stick to your ribs meal while we all welcome spring back into the mix! Bon appetite! 

We have hosted our share of animals here on the farm over the years, but by far some of the most interesting were our sheep. Peggy has a dark sense of humor, and when she decided to raise sheep for easter one year, she came up with the most wicked names. 

Please meet "Bob" (shish kabob) 

and meet "Stew" (lamb stew) 

These fun little guys had their pen moved around The Lavender Apple property and happily grazed on our grass and saved us a little time in mowing each week. Wrangling them so we could move the pen was not an easy task. 

Lamb is often a dish we think of at easter time for its obvious significance. Peggy has crafted some amazing lamb dishes over the years, all of which have been shared here on the blog. Here are our two favorites: 

Lamb Stew with Dried Plums

Moroccan Lavender Kebabs

Bob and Stew were wonderful friends and became a wonderful dinner. Such is life on the farm. We appreciate all the earth gives us and hopefully we give back to it. What are your dinner plans this Easter? 

Another fun lavender dish for you to try today! One of my favorite ways to grill has got to be kebabs. All the extra surface area on the meat leads to these wonderful little crisp bits that just enhance the lavender flavor so much. Your guests will happily wonder what hit them in the tastebuds. This recipe is for Moroccan Lavender Kebabs, you will love it. 

Meat Marinade: 
1 TBS Lavender 
1/4 TSP Salt
Juice from 1 Lemon
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 Lbs Beef or Lamb cut into uniform cubes

Crush your lavender, lemon, and salt in a mortar and pestle until a paste is formed. Add your olive oil. Add your meat and put in a ziplock bag and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Skewer your meat. (If using wood skewers, make sure you soak them in water while your meat is marinating.) Grill over high heat until done to your liking. 

Simple, but unique. It doesn't take much to elevate a dish. Buy your own culinary lavender or lavender salt HERE.