How do I love lamb?
Let me count the ways.
I love it so much that if it’s on a menu, I will always make a beeline for it over beef.
I love that my father would take the time on weekends to make his special curry lamb in a pressure cooker on the stovetop, complete with carrots, onions and turnips, all tinged with that golden colored sauce.
I love that my husband enjoys cooking a leg of lamb studded with garlic and rosemary in his Big Green Egg, which we can then enjoy with hummus and pita for nights on end.
And I love that Niman Ranch, when it was still owned by Bill Niman, would host an annual outdoor barbecue bash for media, friends and ranchers, where I was lucky to be introduced to the delights of grilled lamb riblets, which are tiny yet exquisitely juicy.
If you love lamb like I love lamb, then you don’t want to miss the seventh annual San Francisco Lamb Jam, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. July 17 at the Golden Gate Club.
The American Lamb Board’s multi-city, culinary cook-off competition will feature a dozen of the Bay Area’s best chefs vying for “Best in Show,” “People’s Choice,” and other best-of categories. The winner will face other Lamb Jam champions in the finale in September in New York.
The participating chefs will be:
Robert McCarthy – Thirstybear Brewing Company
Sophina Uong – Calavera
Francis Hogan – Sabio On Main
Jay Abrams – Bi-Rite Market
Alan Fullerton – Pacific Coast Brewing Co.
Brandon Rice – Rich Table
Parke Ulrich – Epic Steak
David Bazirgan – Dirty Habit
Wesley Shaw – Presido Social Club
Michael Cassady – Kuleto’s
John Griffiths – Bluestem Brasserie
Mike Espinoza – Hogs & Rocks
Attendees will get a chance to sample all the dishes, too. Tickets are $60 each. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to La Cocina, the non-profit incubator for low-income food entrepreneurs.
CONTEST: Two lucky Food Gal readers will each win a pair of tickets to the San Francisco Lamb Jam.
Entries, limited to those who can actually attend the July 17 event in San Francisco, will be accepted through midnight PST July 2. Winners will be announced July 4.
How to win?
You’ve already read how much I love lamb. Tell me why you are a lamb aficionado. Best two answers will the pair of tickets each.
Winner of Last Week’s Contest
In the previous Food Gal contest, I asked you to tell me what the San Francisco Bay Area most means to you. The winner will receive a Harry & David San Francisco-Inspired Gift Basket ($99.99 value). #TasteYourCity
Congrats to:
Genny, who wrote: “I grew up in the ‘burbs, and most Saturdays my parents would pack my three siblings and me in the station wagon for a family culinary adventure in Chinatown. After a delicious dim sum lunch, we’d navigate the busy streets and pick up fruit at Orangeland; bok choy, cha siew, roast duck, and a whole, boiled chicken on Stockton Street and maybe an apple pie or two from Sun Wah Kue! My absolute favorite was the noodle factory where Dad would order several sheets of fresh rice noodles (fun). I would salivate and watch in awe as the ladies there would quickly and expertly pack the noodles into a pink box and tie the box with string. Even though our tummies were still full of ha gaw, siu mai, pork buns, and sticky rice, the ride home was agony, as all those delicious smells from the food permeated the car. Once home, my little sister and I would tear into the pink box, grab a plate and douse those perfect rice noodle goodness (still warm!) with soy sauce.”