It’s Easter season ! And you may find more lamb at the store ! Whether you prefer lamb roasts, shoulder or still enjoy lamb breast despite all the fat, you may want to enjoy something easy and delicious for Sunday dinner! Bonus if it’s healthy! I have made this meal with both lamb shoulder and breast. Enjoy the combination of green olives, carrots and onions with the deep flavors of lamb meat ! Even with a fatty cut of meat, the flavors of this meal will fill your palate with pleasure.

The breast fats is central to it being a tender meal. A mix of both shoulder and breast may be ideal if you can find both.

What cut of lamb to chose?

I know a bit more about beef cuts than lamb. However, I know this recipe is great for even a fatty cut of lamb like breast, but would be best served with lamb shoulder.  Fat and bone give the meal extra flavor. I made it last with split lamb breast and despite the extra fat, it was delicious, but I confess I enjoy a touch less fat in my meal.

Meanwhile, the advantage of steaming lamb breast plate is that a lot of fat already sweats out into the tank. But not quite all of it! 

Why lamb?

Lamb Breast Recipe for the Easter season

Well, it’s Easter, so lamb season ! You can literally find it everywhere. Second, for variation sake. I believe it is good for our bodies to have as much variation as possible when it comes to foods. It also is good for our tastebuds to try something different on a regular basis: it keeps is less picky! 

Nutrition: Lamb vs Beef 

If you are looking for iron, any red meat is a good bet. However lamb is not as “red” a meet as beef. A lean cut of lamb will have a concentration of 10g of iron for a pound of meat vs. 8g  in lamb. For many other nutrients however, lamb is richer than beef: Magnesium, Potassium, B2, B3, folate and vitamin K, all important nutrients for fertility and hormone balance. In the case of vitamin B12, B6, B1 and calcium, beef is richer. That of course depends on the cut of meat in each animal. Lamb is slightly poorer in protein and richer in fats than beef

An Easy Lamb Breast Plate recipe

Despite the fat, this recipe is quite easy and quick to make. All you need is to prepare vegetables, steam them while you prepare the skillet to finish the meal with slow cooking – or shall i say low-heat cooking – veggies and meat together. This is One of my favorite Classic Lamb recipes 

A Classic recipe from my mother: Lamb Blanquette

What is Lamb Blanquette

Lamb blanquette is traditionally a recipe where meat is cooked in a creamy sauce for about an hour, in a skillet together with veggies, broth, spices and herbs. You can make it with different types of meat like veal, pork, or chicken as well. The sauce takes the flavor of the meat. The whole meal cooks in the skillet together for about an hour. 

Delicious Lamb Breast Recipe

Originally, this stew was made with veal, chicken broth, mushrooms, carrots, leeks and onions over rice in a creamy buttery sauce ( roux). You can also make it with chicken or pork, and in our case, lamb meat. While the original recipe involves mushrooms and roux, what is special about this recipe is that I replace mushrooms by olives which tastes incredibly wonderful with lamb!

A Steam Cooking Version for Better digestion

I do love a good stew, however roux is very heavy on my stomach.  Also, I like a meal made within a much shorter time frame than one hour. Of course, you could go the slow cooking route. However the downside of slow cooking is that it does slowly but surely destroys many nutrients and fibers, thereby decreasing the nutrient density of your foods, and rising the glycemic index. This is why I use steam cooking for 3/4 of my cooking process. However you chose to cook it, it is a very flavorful meal.

What cooking method do I use ?

I use a mix of steam cooking and slow cooking to make this meal. I don’t use the oven at all. Both methods favor a tender texture and maintain the meat flavor rather well. As a result, you get a very tender lamb with rich flavor, mixed with delicious carrots, onions and juice. Why steaming? Because it is the healthiest cooking method, so I use it for 95% of my cooking needs. Besides, it is very efficient and flavorful: all win!

Cooking lamb breast in A food steamer

Steaming removes some of the fat, especially the most. inflammatory layer. Meanwhile it preserves most flavors, nutrients and texture. Besides, steaming helps your meat sweat out toxins and fats into the tank, so your cut of meat does not keep as much fat on as it ordinarily would through oven roasting or stew cooking. Needless to say, I don’t use the tank water to make the dressing to avoid toxins. I make a sauce myself in the skillet. It makes a very tasty lamb meal. Instead of roux, I use extra virgin olive oil.

Cook the lamb breast on the fat side so fat drippings will easily fall into the tank!  

The fat melts with the vapor while cooking in the steamer basket. Lamb breast is a very fatty cut, so it is very helpful to steam out a little. You will see the fat congeal as the steamer cools down after cook and see how much excess fat you spare your body!

Steaming vegetables

Moreover, a good steam cooker steams at 95 degrees C or 202 degrees F, i.e. below boiling temperature, which preserves vitamins and nutrients of your vegetables best. Keeping the heat as low as possible under your skillet preserves nutrients best while mixing the flavors together of veggies and meat best.

Cooking process:

1- Fill the tank of the steam cooker with hot water, possibly using an electric kettle to go faster. Turn on the stove on high heat.

2- Prepare the ingredients: cut the vegetables, get all oils and herbs, cut the meat in smaller pieces as possible – 2 inch thick.

3- Once the steamer is steaming abundantly, steam the veggies on medium-high heat ( about 5-10 minutes) while preparing the sauce in a skillet

4- Transfer the veggies into a skillet cooking on low heat while steaming the meat

5- Transfer the meat into the skillet, mix and  

Cooking time:

Lamb cooks about 25 minutes in the steamer. You will only need 5 minutes for the veggies, and 10 minutes to combine all ingredients slow cooking together in the skillet. You can test the temperature of the meat easily with a meat thermometer (internal temperature: 145°F) With 2 lbs, I didn’t need to cook the lamb in two steps For more, I would probably split the volume and cook it in two sessions.

Bonus: No oven, no oven temperature heating up the house, no need of a preheated, no roasting pan to wash ! Easy dishes cleaning! Also no need to cover the meat with aluminum foil, which may leach in your food. And if aluminum is bad in your armpits, it certainly isn’t good in your food.

F.A.Q.

Does this recipe involve a lamb rub?

No the taste is brought about by the spices and herbs in the sauce.

Crushed garlic or powdered garlic?

It does not matter. Replace one clove with 1/2 tsp powdered garlic.

Do you use boneless breast?

No I do find that the bone does give more flavor to the meat, so I buy breast on the bone. You can however use boneless breast if you prefer, It will only affect a little bit of the flavors.

What side do you serve with it ? 

My favorite sides with blanquette are steamed rice or patatoes, steamed then roasted in a pan with garlic and herbs.

Do you use fresh lemon juice?

Yes I do prefer fresh for everything. On one side, I enjoy the taste of real lemon best, and I detect bottle lemon immediately. Also, it adds some vitamins I don’t want to waste, and it pairs deliciously with the olives.

What skillet do you use?

I usually use a stainless steel skillet. Since the meat and veggies cook in a sauce on low heat, it doesn’t involve any difficulty to wash it. You can also chose cast iron, either works. I believe in this case, stainless steel is easier to wash and maintain. For more on cooking equipment, look at my Equipment page.

Note on Nutrient information

Don’t forget the nutrient information is computer generated.

Available nutrient data doesn’t take into account the real nutrient density of ingredients, or the the cooking method. The cooking method impacts the amount of fats, vitamins and minerals left in your meal !

How do I reheat leftover lamb ?

In a Pyrex dish 10-15 minutes on the steamer basket after the steamer starts steaming abundantly. Or directly 10 min in the skillet on low heat.

Storage

In a pyrex airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

More dinner recipes?

Kids love Fried Rice, Steamed Cuisine Style

Summer meals ? Many salads for you ! Among others:

• Kale & Quinoa Lemony Goodness salad,
• Mediterranean Rice and Tuna Salad,
• Greek Quinoa Entree Salad – A classic with a twist !

Dips are also particularly appreciated in the summer, for hosting guests:

• Easy Chicken Liver & Breast, Orange & Thyme Recipe
• Intense Flavors Hummus
• Eggplant dip
• Parsley Apple Olive oil Veggie dip
• Easy 4 Ingredients Smooth Black Olive Tapenade Recipe

Bon appétit!