Easter | A meat with many qualities

“Lamb is a meat that has an exceptional taste, fat and texture ratio,” enthuses chef Marc-André Jetté.

Sitting at a high table at the Hoogan et Beaufort restaurant, in the Angus district of Montreal, the chef-owner multiplies the qualifiers to describe this product that he particularly likes. The words “delicious” and “incredible” come up many times during the interview.

In his eyes, lamb is the meat that best reflects the spirit of his restaurant, known for its cooking over a wood fire.

We move near the large fireplace where a few flames are crackling. The impressive structure contributes to the warm atmosphere of this splendid premises with its industrial character – at a time not so long ago, the place served as a warehouse for the Angus railway factories.

Sunday, for Easter, Marc-André Jetté and his team will offer a special menu to share in which lamb will be presented in different ways.

Sheep meat is also featured in the dish they prepare today for The Press : a plate of wood-fired lamb neck and squash agnolotti. When we arrived, the chef, Bruno Champoux, was already busy making pasta.

A usual question

If Marc-André Jetté generously accepted our invitation to cook for our readers and share one of his recipes, it is because he wants to contribute to “democratizing lamb”.

Although it is the fourth meat in terms of quantity consumed in Quebec, it is much less popular than those which precede it, namely, in order, chicken, beef and pork.

For many Quebecers, eating lamb is simply not part of their eating habits, notes, in a telephone interview, Marion Dallaire, spokesperson for the Éleveurs d’ovins du Québec. A survey conducted by the organization in 2020 and made public the following year indicates that 43% of the population consumes it.

“When I was a child, we didn’t eat lamb in my family. Zero,” underlines Marc-André Jetté. His love for this meat developed later, thanks to a former partner of Italian origin. “In his family, they cooked lamb and rabbit a lot,” he remembers.

In recent years, however, we have felt a certain enthusiasm for this meat, argues Marion Dallaire. And not just on special occasions, she explains. “People are looking to add variety to their menu, even during the week. […] They want to try new flavors. »

Why do some potential consumers not dare to cook lamb? “The main reason is that they often don’t know how to prepare it. They are afraid of making a mistake,” replies Marion Dallaire.

A question of taste

And then there is the taste which not everyone likes. In the 2021 survey, this distinctive flavor repelled some consumers, while for others it was the reason for their purchase.

In the collective imagination, we still associate lamb with a “wooly side”, unpleasant in the mouth, deplores Marc-André Jetté.

“The lamb that our parents and grandparents boiled […]they were poor quality lambs, very old lambs. […] It brought the taste of wool which remained engraved in the minds of the world,” he says.

Today, “we are far from that,” continues the chef.

The lamb from here

And this is particularly true for Quebec lamb, says Marc-André Jetté, who has always preferred it to large mass productions from Australia or New Zealand.

In the province, we often hear about the lamb production of Bas-du-Fleuve, whose animals feed on salty herbs, which gives the flesh saline notes. “It’s an extremely high-quality lamb, we can’t deny that, but it’s also very expensive,” says Marc-André Jetté.

Also owner of the Édouard et Léo butcher shop as well as the Annette wine bar, he has been sourcing his supplies from the same passionate producers for around fifteen years: the Marovine sheepfolds, located in Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, in Montérégie.

The fact remains that the price of lamb is high compared to other meats, such as chicken or pork. Noble cuts, for example rack and leg of lamb, come with quite hefty bills.

However, certain parts of the animal are more accessible. This is the case of the lamb collar, which corresponds to the neck, a piece that Marc-André Jetté has integrated into his recipe today. “It’s an incredible part,” he promises, adding the final touches to the appetizing plate.

Feeling the braised meat melt on our tongue and its taste invade our taste buds, we can only agree with him.

Visit the Hoogan and Beaufort website

Visit the Agneau Québec website

Visit the Édouard et Léo butcher’s website