(Lamb)

Lamb is referred to the flesh of young sheep. It is Pinkish red in color, with clear white brittle fat. Spring lamb is a term used to describe sheep under one year of age. These are in greatest supply in the late summer or early fall. The animal, which is typically slaughtered at about 10 weeks, is butchered into five major cuts: the leg, shoulder, loin, rack, and the breast. These larger cuts are then often broken down further by the butcher. Young sheep is not always purely milk fed, but it is typically young, small, and tender. If the butcher labels to meat agnellone, it means that it comes from an older sheep, one slaughtered at 6 to 10 months of age.

Abbacchio, a term used only in Lazio, refers to milk fed baby sheep, in other words, an animal that has never eaten grass or grain. Before slaughter, it weighs 16 to 20 pounds, and once butchered, it yields about half that weight. The meat is pale pink and remarkably tender. The term castrato is used for a young, castrated male sheep. The meat is tender but a bit more pronounced and flavor than abbacchio because the animal is a little older one slaughtered.

Some old European recipes call for braising a leg, which works well with the relatively small, tender, not to lean legs available in the butcher shops. They cook quickly and remain succulent. Larger, leaner whole legs are likely to be a bit dry when braised, unless they are cooked in substantial liquid. For stews, shoulder is generally the best choice, as it is usually nicely marbled with fat. American leg is made by pulling meat back from the shank bone, removing bone and fastening the shank meat back against the leg. This compact roast fits nicely into small roasting pan. French leg is made by removing meat from the shank bone.


Roasting
Grilled
Stew
Casserole