Hello Dolly

The Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland worked for years trying to successfully clone a mammal. Finally, in 1996, they succeeded – and on July 5th of that year 6LL3 was born. This was of course a sheep, later renamed Dolly. Suddenly, there was the real prospect that decades of science fiction plots could someday become reality I can’t confirm the reports that the research team had a business plan to market cloned perfect sheep like Dolly in Scotland as “basic pleasure models” ala Blade Runner; it is true however that Dolly had debilitating arthritis that restricted her mobility and would thus render her unable to resist advances from frisky would be paramours. By the way, the proper term for sex with a sheep is tupping.

Supposedly the name Dolly was chosen in honor of Dolly Parton because the animal was cloned from a mammary cell.

Scottish Beauty Pageant

Not being Scottish I don’t have amorous thoughts about sheep; when I think of a sheep I think leg of lamb. I know many people aren’t particularly fond of lamb; it can be gamey and at times tough. But the same commercial practices that removed much of the flavor from supermarket beef and pork have worked in favor of lamb. I’ve found lamb purchased these days is far milder than it used to be and has much less gamey aroma. Lamb really absorbs flavors from marinades and can stand a couple of days in an acidic marinade without getting too mushy. And it develops a fabulous crust when grilled or smoked.

One of the best lamb dishes I’ve made is also one of the easiest. You need a large onion, a half dozen cloves of garlic, some olive oil, and martini fixings (with lemon).

Fix a generous double martini – not too dry. Pour half into a martini glass and add your lemon twist. That’s yours to drink while you proceed. Pour the other half into a blender or food processor. Add a matching quantity of olive oil. Zest in the rest of the lemon peel and squeeze in the lemon juice. Chop the onion and add it along with the garlic and a teaspoon of salt. Blend or process until it’s smooth. Marinate your leg of lamb in this overnight, and then grill or smoke to taste - about 140 for medium rare. If you smoke, use a fruit wood, oak, or grape vines.

This is great with a big Zinfandel – anything from Rosenblum or Ridge. The current cheap Rosenblum (eg Vintners Cuvee) is XXIX which gets back on track as a sub $10 bargain after a couple lesser efforts.