Nothing defines the farm to table movement more than growing your own food for your family. Not everyone has the time, space, knowledge or desire for that matter, to grow their own food. For me I have some time, a little knowledge, a huge desire and nowhere near enough space! As I have shared before, I grew up on a farm where we did as much as we could to self sustain, within reason. Both of my parents worked full time but with space, a little knowledge and a desire we all pitched in and grew and raised everything from herbs, edible flowers and vegetables to dairy goats, rabbits, laying hens, ducks, geese, pigs and beef cows. My Mom always called it”our little menagerie.” As an adult I now have my own little menagerie in our family’s suburban oasis!
Of course we have the vegetable, herb and tea gardens, worms for composting to making amazingly rich soil and…our ladies, the hens round out our rural-suburbia. Clearly we do not have enough room for the dairy and meat component of a self-sustaining homestead! This is where a real passion and commitment to knowing what you are eating and feeding the ones you love comes in. Fortunate for me I have friends and family with {space}… My childhood best friend and business partner, Megan, has some property in the Shenandoah Valley where she, her husband and her daughters all have animals they raise for meat, milk and eggs. Lucky for us she has a surplus of fresh goat’s milk she happily shares with our family! Although Megan has a lot more space than I do, her daughters are all in 4-H so her small little farm is bursting at the seams…
This spring Megan and I bought two grass-fed lambs with the intention of raising them ourselves until late summer and butchering them to provide a good amount of delicious hormone and antibiotic free meat for our families this fall and winter. The only trouble with this was that neither one of us had the space to keep two lambs. With the desire to raise our own meat and no place to do it, my wonderful parents offered to allow us to raise our little lambs at their small farm just outside of Sacramento. Another example of families coming together to help perpetuate the farm to table and slow food movements! It was a wonderful adventure that I am glad my kids were part of! We plan to celebrate by sharing a lamb and harvest feast with our families and close friends in the fall. There is something very satisfying about growing and raising your own food, and I look forward to the day where I can expand my homesteading operation! Until then I feel blessed to have friends and family who also believe in the satisfaction and importance of producing your own food.
Now if you are a meat eater and have never had a lamb burger you are truly missing out! I challenge you to branch out and try this recipe. Rich roasted red pepper aioli, creamy goat cheese and earthy sautéed kale top these delicious lamb burgers; I promise you won’t be disappointed! When shopping for ground lamb try to find organic grass-fed lamb, as it’s typically earthy with a slight sweetness and not gamey tasting. If you aren’t sold that you are going to like the taste of a lamb burger ease into it by mixing the lamb 1:1 with lean ground beef, or even ground turkey.
This spring Megan and I bought two grass-fed lambs with the intention of raising them ourselves until late summer and butchering them to provide a good amount of delicious hormone and antibiotic free meat for our families this fall and winter. The only trouble with this was that neither one of us had the space to keep two lambs. With the desire to raise our own meat and no place to do it, my wonderful parents offered to allow us to raise our little lambs at their small farm just outside of Sacramento. Another example of families coming together to help perpetuate the farm to table and slow food movements! It was a wonderful adventure that I am glad my kids were part of! We plan to celebrate by sharing a lamb and harvest feast with our families and close friends in the fall. There is something very satisfying about growing and raising your own food, and I look forward to the day where I can expand my homesteading operation! Until then I feel blessed to have friends and family who also believe in the satisfaction and importance of producing your own food.
Now if you are a meat eater and have never had a lamb burger you are truly missing out! I challenge you to branch out and try this recipe. Rich roasted red pepper aioli, creamy goat cheese and earthy sautéed kale top these delicious lamb burgers; I promise you won’t be disappointed! When shopping for ground lamb try to find organic grass-fed lamb, as it’s typically earthy with a slight sweetness and not gamey tasting. If you aren’t sold that you are going to like the taste of a lamb burger ease into it by mixing the lamb 1:1 with lean ground beef, or even ground turkey.
Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
2 cloves garlic
½ cup roasted red peppers (1 red pepper)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Roast the Pepper
Rub red pepper with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pepper on the grill or roast in a 450 degree oven until charred and completely wrinkled. Remove pepper and place immediately in a plastic container with a tightly fitted lid. Keep covered until cool enough to handle. Peel outer skin, cut in half and remove stem and seeds.
Finely chop the garlic in the food processer.
½ cup roasted red peppers (1 red pepper)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Roast the Pepper
Rub red pepper with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pepper on the grill or roast in a 450 degree oven until charred and completely wrinkled. Remove pepper and place immediately in a plastic container with a tightly fitted lid. Keep covered until cool enough to handle. Peel outer skin, cut in half and remove stem and seeds.
Finely chop the garlic in the food processer.
Add the pepper and blend until almost smooth, then add the mayonnaise. With the food processer running, slowly blend in the oil to emulsify. Season the aioli, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. The aioli can be made up to 2 days ahead.
Sautéed Kale
1 bunch dinosaur (dino) kale a.k.a Tuscan kale, thoroughly washed
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop kale into bite-size pieces removing the woody stems. Heat oil in large sautéed pan on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add kale stir to coat with the oil and sprinkle with some salt. Sauté kale on med heat until wilted and tender. Stir in red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes, then salt and pepper to taste.
Lamb Burgers (makes 4, ¼ pound burgers)
4 fresh buns
(Kaiser rolls are a great choice great, but I choose to use multigrain sandwich thin to lighten it up)
Fresh goat cheese
1 pound ground organic grass-fed lamb
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs (I use: mint, chives, thyme, parsley and oregano)
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Onion powder
½ teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Divide the meat evenly into 4 patties. Sprinkle lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper. Grill until desired doneness.
Assembly:
Grill your buns and spread on some of the creamy roasted red pepper aioli. Place burger on the bun and top with sautéed kale and crumble some soft fresh goat cheese on the top. Enjoy with a marinated vegetable salad or a simple fresh from the garden tomato and cucumber salad!
(Kaiser rolls are a great choice great, but I choose to use multigrain sandwich thin to lighten it up)
Fresh goat cheese
1 pound ground organic grass-fed lamb
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs (I use: mint, chives, thyme, parsley and oregano)
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Onion powder
½ teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Divide the meat evenly into 4 patties. Sprinkle lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper. Grill until desired doneness.
Assembly:
Grill your buns and spread on some of the creamy roasted red pepper aioli. Place burger on the bun and top with sautéed kale and crumble some soft fresh goat cheese on the top. Enjoy with a marinated vegetable salad or a simple fresh from the garden tomato and cucumber salad!
Waste Not Want Not Tip:
Don’t throw out those kale stems or the stems from your herbs! Instead start putting them in a freezer bag along with your mushroom stems. Then once a month commit to making your own vegetable stock! Freeze your cooled stock in freezer bags in 1 and 2 quart batches. Then the next time you make risotto, polenta or even rice you have a flavorful stock without any preservatives! Enjoy!
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