Lamb & feta pasta
Inspired by time on a sheep farm
Here at 40 Ingredients Forever, recipes are abundant in flavor and joy yet streamlined in process—because they’re all made of the same 40 ingredients.
Last winter Ryan and I ended up living in a trailer on a sheep and cattle farm in Bend, Oregon—my middle school teacher’s farm. It takes just one teacher to change a kid’s life, and Martha was that teacher for me (neither of us are sappy enough for me to get into it here).
When I wrote to her “hey, I saw you live in Bend now? We would love to come snowboard; let me know if you hear of anyone renting their place for a month or two?” it had been the first time I’d talked to her in, oh, ten years? She said: “stay here! It’ll be lambing season so we’ll be really busy but stay here!!”
First I googled “what is lambing season” (when female sheep give birth) and then a few weeks later Martha and I picked up like ten years hadn’t gone by. North 44 Farm is a family farm specializing in grass fed and finished lamb and beef. It’s run by Martha’s daughter, Courtney—a former chef who studied at the Culinary Institute of America—and son-in-law, Ethan.
Their work is constant, emotional, and difficult, especially during lambing season when moms are giving birth all over the place. I had the hilarious job of bottle-feeding any babies whose mothers had abandoned them, but mostly I just got in the way by asking a million questions and eating a lot of lamb (and thinking and reading about eating animals—more on that below).
Lamb is not a universally loved meat, but I think it has so much more going for it than ground beef. Because of its fat and flavor, you just have to do less for a lamb dish to taste good. For the lamb-curious among us, I asked Courtney if she’d share answers to some of the questions I asked her on the farm.
Also, for paid subscribers: A pasta with lamb and feta (double sheep) that’s similar to one I made for the farmers last winter. Cybelle Tondu, who tested the recipe and writes such lyrical notes, said:
This thoughtful dish delivered on flavor and substance while really celebrating the easy-breezy nature of spring through its speed and freshness. The feta balances the richness of the lamb nicely, and I love how it stealthily forms the base of the sauce. Such a classic and elegant flavor profile and fairly effortless preparation.
What inspired the leap from chef to farmer-rancher?
Courtney: Many of the restaurants I worked in had a heavy farm-direct influence and my favorite part of the day was seeing all the cool food that farmers and ranchers were bringing in. From there, I started growing my own veggies and then raising my own animals on a small scale and realized I loved it and wanted to pursue a life on the producer side of food.
When you decided to become a farmer, why’d you choose lamb, and then later beef?
My husband is Australian and we spent 7 years living in Australia where I developed a love of lamb. When we moved to the farm in Central Oregon, we just couldn't find local lamb like we had in Australia so we decided that we could start producing our own!
We decided to get into raising cattle about a year after we launched our grass-fed lamb because we also love 100% grass-fed and finished beef so we just went for it.
What are the effects on the environment of raising sheep?
Like raising any animal, how you raise them is an important factor in determining their impact on their environment. We rotationally graze both our sheep and cattle herds so they are only on the same pasture for a matter of days. This means they will evenly eat the grasses in the provided pasture and distribute organic material (poop) to help build up nutrients in the soil. By eating just local grasses and being rotationally grazed, they can add a lot of benefit to their local environment.
To put it bluntly: you love animals and you eat them. How?
Haha yes we get this one a lot. I think eating meat should be something special because it is a life and that life should be something to take note of. In our business, we do that by trying to honor all parts of our animals; we tan the hides, make soap from the fat, sell the bones and organ meats, and try to put every part of the animal to good use as opposed to leaving it as waste on the butcher floor.
I think as humans, we are capable of holding complexities—I can care deeply about something and also know that it's going to bring nourishing food to myself, my family, and our customers, and isn't that level of care what you'd want on your plate?
What's the coolest thing about running a farm?
Apart from working for yourself and being able to hang out with animals all day, I really think the seasonal patterns are one of my favorite things. In spring, as the grass starts growing, lambing and calving kicks off, the days get incrementally longer and so do our work hours until we're at a full sprint through summer. Once the short days of fall roll around again, it is a welcome relief to slow down as the days get shorter. It's the first job I've had where the days really are as long as the season allows for and I enjoy that connection.
What makes lamb grassy? If people don’t like grassy lamb (which I know you don’t), what sources should they seek out? What cuts are generally less grassy?
Lamb has a distinct taste in part because the meat has a branched-chain fatty acid that other ruminants like cows don't have. The prevalence of those fatty acids is very dependent on the breed and the diet. Our lamb has a mild taste due to the breed we raise (Katahdins) and the type of grass we raise them on: irrigated pastures of orchard grass.
Keeping in mind that the lamb taste comes from the fat, if you are looking for lamb at the market and want to avoid a stronger taste, I would look for leaner cuts like leg steaks, racks of lamb, and legs of lamb.
If you are in an area where you can find a local lamb producer, I would reach out to them, ask about their feed program and breeds raised, then purchase a pound or two to see if it's to your liking.
If people aren’t sure if they like lamb, or think they don’t like lamb, what would you suggest they make or try first?
When people aren't sure whether or not they like lamb, I usually recommend trying lamb sausages or lamp lollipop chops because they’re easy to cook up and very mild.
If people are hesitant to try lamb because they are worried about overcooking, lamb shanks are a great option as they are typically a lower-cost cut and best braised, so you truly can't overcook them. I love this apple cider braised shank.
You have a pound of ground lamb defrosted in the fridge. What are you making?
I love love the lamb pasta with asparagus and feta recipe you made for us! It's just so easy to make and the leftovers are great the next day.
Thanks for the segue, Courtney!
Lamb & Feta Pasta
