‘Tis the season for Icelandic Lamb!

8 years ago

This past summer Doug and I had the opportunity to savor grass-fed
local (to upstate NY) lamb from Heather Ridge Farm that was clean, mild in flavor, and just – oh, so
good! Doug turned the cubes of meat into probably the best-tasting shish kebab
we’d had in a very long time. It reminded us of the American lamb we used to
find more readily in years past, but have trouble locating in our markets
today.

Icelandic Lamb display at Whole Foods, Wellington, FL

While strolling through our neighborhood Whole Foods, I
spotted a display of really nice looking lamb from …. Iceland! The young
butcher told me that the lamb is mild in flavor, but that it was ‘in-season’ for only a
short time, and that I shouldn’t wait to try it.
He promised I wouldn’t be
disappointed.

Since I was looking for a quick meal, I opted to purchase 1 ½ lbs. of the the Icelandic ground lamb, figuring lule kebab would be a good way to test this product.

Sous chef, Doug, prepared the lule kebab using our traditional recipe, but noted that the mixture seemed slippery (fatty) as he
shaped the kebabs. Undeterred, he continued on.

The lule kebabs emitted a fair amount of fat as it cooked,
but did not have a heavy, greasy taste – and that is a good thing!

Our dinner: ‘Icelandic’ Lule Kebab with Grilled Vegetables

Doug was a bit put-off by the somewhat dense texture; I wasn’t. I popped my lule kebab in a bun and topped it with fresh parsley leaves and slices of sweet onion, and enjoyed
every bite. (The bulgur pilaf and grilled vegetables helped to round-out the
meal!)

Would we try another cut of the Icelandic lamb? Sure, why
not? Perhaps the leg of lamb next time.