Ok guys, this HAS to be my current all time favorite lamb recipe! The little dug right into this dish and asked for more ... so it must be a winner, right?! And I have to thank my friend Amber for introducing me to  her Lamb Broccolini Oreccheitte recipe that I adapted this from! ​

For some more fun with lam, also check out my Lamb & Rosemary Koftas recipe and my Greek Roasted Lamb Shoulder recipe! 

Lamb & Broccoli Pasta
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Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta shells
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste

Directions

Bring pasta to a boil and cook until almost tender. You want the pasta to be a little underdone at this point because you are going to add the broccoli for the last little bit of cooking time and save a dirty pan ;) Alternatively, you can fully cook the pasta while cooking the broccoli separately. If you cook the broccoli separately, simply steam or boil the broccoli to your taste and then add to the drained pasta when done cooking.

If you are using the 'one pot method', at this point add the broccoli and cook 3 minutes more, until the pasta is al dente and the broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender. Drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the lamb and break it up into small chunks. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is deeply browned and a little crispy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the pepper flakes, and salt to taste, and cook about 1 minute longer.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir the pasta and broccoli into the pot with the lamb. Add the reserved cooking water and continue cooking about 1 to 2 minutes more, to allow the pasta to absorb the flavors. Sprinkle in about ½ cup of the cheese and stir to combine well. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top when you serve the dish!

Enjoy!
Emily

I've gotten several questions lately along the lines of "how do you cook lamb?" To be honest it's not super different from cooking beef. The main thing is just to not overcook it & cook it low and slow. Don't rush it! And don't leave it sitting in it's own juices once it's done cooking.

​When it comes to cooking something new, I prefer to have a recipe that I know is tried and true. SO I am going to share a couple of lamb recipes that I personally have had good success with! Make sure to check out the Lamb & Rosemary Koftas recipe that I've posted previously and be watching for Lamb & Broccoli pasta recipe that I adapted from my from friend Amber's lamb broccolini orecchiette! I will work on getting a grilled lamb chop recipe up as well!

For today, please enjoy a favorite of mine: Greek Roasted Lamb Shoulder Roast. I adapted this recipe from https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-roasted-rosemary-garlic-lamb-shoulder/. If you want a more in depth description of the steps, please visit her original recipe. And then get lost in all of the other great lamb recipes she has too! <3
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​Greek Roasted Lamb Shoulder Roast (~3lbs) (adapted from: recipetineats)

Ingredients

• 3lb lamb shoulder roast
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onions, quartered (any color is fine, I used red)
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (1-2 lemons), plus more to taste
• 2 cups chicken broth (I like to use chicken bouillon)

 
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 465F
2. Rub the lamb with the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Use a thin, sharp knife to make 12 incisions in the lamb
4. Stuff garlic slivers into the holes
5. Place the onion, halved garlic bulb and rosemary in the base of a roasting pan. Place the lamb on top. Pour water around.
6. Cover with lid or tightly with a double layer of foil. Place in the oven, and TURN DOWN to 350F
7. Roast, covered, for 3 hours. Remove foil, turn up the oven to 425F and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and crisp. By now, you should be able to part the meat with two forks.
8. Remove lamb from the roasting pan and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil then a couple of tea towels and let it rest for at least 20 minutes, up to a couple of hours (after this, you may want to reheat). Serve with sauce.
9. Strain liquid into a clear jug. The fat will rise to the top. Scoop/pour most of it off. Adjust the remaining sauce with salt, pepper and lemon to taste.

 
 
Serve lamb with the Sauce on the side

**NOTE: if you have a larger roast, add about 30 minutes of cooking time for every additional 2lbs of lamb

Enjoy!
Emily

​Farmers Market season is almost here! Like, less than a week away!! Without farmers markets, NP & I wouldn’t have much of a future in agriculture. Farmers markets allow us to sell out meats and vegetables directly to you our number one customer.  

When NP and I decided to start farming, we knew we wanted to do pretty much anything besides row crops and feedlot/confinement style operations. For one we couldn’t possibly afford to enter into that type of operation. Taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, just wasn’t our style. Second, we wanted to spend our time working directly with the plants and animals, not cooped up in a tractor*. We wanted a farm that was diverse and flexible and as such, could weather a changing world and a changing climate. And most importantly, we wanted to grow FOOD that our friends, our family, our neighbors could actually EAT. Food that WE could feel good about eating. I’m talking about fresh fruits and veggies and reasonable servings of wholesome proteins.

That’s where farmers markets come into the picture. Farmers markets have allowed us to sell vegetables and pasture raised meats directly to the people who will then eat them. This is not only satisfying to NP & I but also has allowed us to enter the market without taking out a loan for equipment and has allowed us to grow as we are able.

With that in mind, I thought I’d share a little bit about the markets where NP & I sell our meats and vegetables.

The first market that we ever attended as a vendor was Produce in the Park in Atlantic, Iowa. We were first drawn in by all of the posters around town and quickly fell in love with the atmosphere and the variety of vendors and products that we found at the market. It was clear that this was a place where a community was being fostered and built. Food has a way of doing that.

This will be the 6th year of operation for Produce in the Park and will be Brun Ko Farm’s 5th year vending at this particular market. PIP is on Thursday evenings from June through September. At PIP, you will find wide variety of vegetables in addition to locally raised meats, eggs, baked goods, handmade soaps and crafts. Another neat aspect of PIP is all of the activities going on too!

The other market that we will be attending this year is The Elk Horn Farmers Market. This market is smaller but still features a variety of vegetables, meats, and handmade soaps. This year the market has also added a Service Organization category. We are looking forward to see what different products that category will bring to market!

We are so looking forward to seeing you at market this year!
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Your Farmers,
Emily& Nathan
Brun Ko Farm

*Don’t get me wrong, we couldn’t do what we do without good ‘ol Ollie tractor but we are grateful to have a good variety of tasks each day/week/year