In the Field: Lambin' It Up
Butcher Vadim Akimenko, whose meat shop Akimenko Meats is in the works (he told us Saturday he’s still waiting for the funding to come together), took the lead by deftly removing the animal’s hind legs before passing it off to chef Nuno Alves (Tavolo Ristorante) who made work of the belly and the saddle. Meanwhile, chef Will Gilson (Garden at the Cellar) emceed the event, giving a blow-by-blow account of the lamb’s fate while Metallica roared in the background.
Butchery theatrics? Absolutely. But it also speaks to the whole-animal trend sprouting up around town. As Gilson noted during the demo, like pigs, lambs can be broken down and used fully from nose to tail in everything from sausages and terrines to chops and roasts (though, unlike pigs, lamb have felt — a layer of fat under the skin — which is a bit too funky to eat). On Saturday, I tasted a few of the lamb’s more underused parts from chef Michael Scelfo (Russell House Tavern) who put up a tasty lamb tongue terrine and a lamb-and-green-garlic sausage as well as from Seth Morrison (The Gallows) who served an addictive, fennel-topped lamb slider.
What’ s next: Whole ostrich butchering demos? Who’s in?
