Chef Jonathan Perno offers this spring recipe featuring lamb. (from Tasting: Spring Feast, April 2021). 

Chef Jonathan Perno, a six-time semifinalist for the heralded James Beard Award, often orders whole lamb from Shepherd’s Lamb to experiment with different cuts. This past winter, he cured and smoked trimmings from the rack, turning it into lamb bacon for spaghetti carbonara. 

FILLING

¼ cup olive oil  
3 tablespoons butter  
2 pounds lean ground lamb  
6 cloves garlic, minced  
1 medium onion, large dice  
4 ribs celery, large dice  
1 pound fresh cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered  
1 bay leaf  
3–4 sprigs rosemary  
¼ cup flour  
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth  
1 quart chicken stock  
1 cup heavy cream  
Salt and black pepper to taste
Parsley sprigs for garnish  

CREPES

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk  
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon beer
6 tablespoons clarified butter, plus additional for crepe pan (or use spray)  
1¾ cups flour, sifted  
½ teaspoon salt  
2 teaspoons sugar  
3 eggs  

Serves 6-8

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To make crepes, warm milk and beer to 110° in a small pan or microwave. In a separate dish, melt clarified butter and set aside.

  2. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk into milk-and-beer mixture. Stir in butter, then eggs, one at a time. Strain batter and chill for 24 hours.

  3. Heat a crepe pan or 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Butter pan or spray with nonstick spray. Stir batter and place one ladleful (or use a ¼ cup or ⅓ cup measure, depending on size of crepe desired) in heated pan. Swirl pan to move batter into a round. When crepe begins to peel up from sides of pan and some color has formed, flip and cook on other side for about 30 seconds.

  4. Place on a parchment-lined plate and keep warm in a 200° oven until ready to plate. Keep cooking and separating the crepes with parchment. (They can also be refrigerated, then reheated in the oven. Wrap extra crepes in plastic and freeze.)

  5. To make filling, melt butter with olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add lamb and stir gently to break it up. Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, onion, celery, mushrooms, bay leaf, and rosemary. Sauté 3–5 minutes.

  6. Sprinkle flour over the meat and stir to combine. Cook 2 minutes longer.

  7. Deglaze the mixture with wine or vermouth and allow to simmer until it has reduced by half.

  8. Add chicken stock and cream and let come to a boil, stirring often to prevent sticking. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove rosemary and bay leaf, adjust seasoning to taste.

  9. To plate, place ⅓ cup filling in a quadrant of a crepe. Fold crepe in half, then fold the half into a quarter and place on warm serving plate. Garnish with parsley.

Campo at Los Poblanos: Historic Inn & Organic Farm

4803 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque; 505-338-1615.