The Rural Voice, 1990-04, Page 56HANOVER
HOLIDAYS
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Departing April 13 or 17
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June Departures
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8, 10, or 15 Days
June through September
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July through September
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July through September
INQUIRE ABOUT:
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Departing July 3
OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY
Departing July 12
For More Details Call:
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or
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1-800-265-5530
52 THE RURAL VOICE
RURAL LIVING
Spring Lamb )
by Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
When we were kids, spring
wasn't just flowers and working the
good earth. The truest sign of spring
came from my father. To my moth-
er's dismay and our delight, he would
bring home a variety of poor creatures
that needed attention.
Young crows that fell out of
their nests were welcome guests, and
raccoons that had lost their mother
found substitutes in all the wee arms
in our house. We were not adverse to
accepting young lambs, and at one
time a runt pig destined for slaughter
cuddled down in a box of straw behind
the couch. That tiny, silky, gloriously
pink wriggler grew to raise 14 of her
own little ones in her first litter.
Like so many children, we were
full of good intentions and, while my
father admonished us to take care of
the creatures he brought home, it was
my mother who would clean the
boxes, put out the feed, and when no
one was looking give the lamb a
cuddle or talk to the crow.
Because my father worked with
sheep back then, he had neither the
stomach nor the heart to eat lamb.
The mere aroma would set him run-
ning. So it wasn't until I was in my
twenties that I had my first taste of
lamb and was surprised at how good
it tasted. It could be that my father
doesn't know what he's missing.
When we were in New Zealand,
everyone ate lamb or mutton. I must
admit that mutton was not high on my
list after my first taste, but a neighbour
assured me that after a while I'd prefer
a good feed of mutton over the bland
flavour of lamb. I guess I wasn't there
long enough to see her point.
We do enjoy lamb at our house,
and I may be a little biased but I like
our Ontario lamb the best. Here is a
recipe from New Zealand that is both
spicy and tasty. Please note that it
calls for lamb and not mutton.
Not every kitchen has garam
masala, which is an East Indian blend
of spices. You can substitute a tea-
spoon of curry powder for the cumin
and garam masala.
Lamb in Yogurt
500 g boneless lamb
2 t. garlic
5 T. natural non-fat yogurt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 t. finely crushed ginger
1 t. mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. garam masala
1/4 t. chili powder
3 T. water
2 large tomatoes
Garnish
1 small onion
2 green onions
half a lemon
Trim all excess fat from meat and
cut into cubes. Peel and crush garlic.
Mix yogurt with all the spices and
water. Mix into meat and marinate
for 2 hours in the fridge.
Chop tomatoes and cook for 2 to
3 minutes until soft. Add meat and
marinade mixture. Stir well. Bring to
a boil, then cover and simmer gently
for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until lamb is
tender and gravy thick. Serve on a
bed of rice with the chopped onion
and slices of lemon arranged on top.
Of course this spring meal would
not be complete without a green
lettuce salad:
Creamy Lemon Chive Dressing
1 egg yolk
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1 cup salad oil
1 T. snipped chives
1/2 t. grated lemon peel
1-2 T. milk
In a small mixer bowl, combine
egg yolk, lemon juice, and salt. Beat
with electric mixer at medium speed
until blended. Add 1/4 cup salad oil 1
teaspoon at a time, beating constantly.
Continue to beat; slowly add the
rest of the oil in a thin, steady stream.
Stir in chives and lemon peel. Stir in
milk till desired consistency. Chill.
Makes 1 cup of dressing.
Variation: Around our house,
there are as many ways to vary a rec-
ipe as there are tastes. We were out of
fresh chives recently so substituted a
crushed garlic clove and a tablespoon
of fresh parsley.0