It’s officially here: Autumn. Autumn is a much nicer sounding word than fall.  I like the way it looks, too, especially in a Script font, which I don’t have available here. 

A chill has descended, so today is “clean out the heat registers” day. We don’t have central heat–or air–but each room has one or two wall registers which attract dust as quickly as magnets attract iron.

It is also time for some cool-weather meals.

I had a small lamb shoulder from Two Rivers Organics www.tworiversfarm.com  and thought I would rub it with some Moroccan-style spices, and braise it slowly in the oven.  This lamb , a Katahdin, is a descendant of the African hair sheep www.khsi.org , and is bred for lean, compact, flavorful meat, among other things. 

I mixed 1/4 tsp. each of cinnamon, allspice, cumin, coriander with 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper and 1/2 tsp. salt and rubbed it into the oil-rubbed shoulder. Refrigerated, it rested several hours.

In my handy 2 1/2 qt. Le Creuset I heated 1 T. grapeseed oil and browned the meat. I added 1/2 diced medium onion, 1 T. minced fresh ginger and 3 minced garlic cloves. (We like garlic.) I stirred these beside the lamb until somewhat softened, and then added 1 1/2 c. dry red wine. I use drinkable wine but not what I am going to drink with the meal. It really doesn’t have to be that good.

After reducing the wine about half, I added  a tablespoon of orange marmalade and 1/4 c. pomegranate juice from Costco–it is pure juice with no added sugars– and 3/4 c. low sodium chicken broth. I covered it, placed it in a 250′ oven and went off to town to the Ryan Patrick tasting room where my friend Susan works. I visited with some of the wine tasters…learned I knew the parents of  two, discussed recipes with one,  and exchanged wine-blend info with another. You meet the neatest people in a winery or tasting room!  

One taster obviously had some knowledge of the Ryan Patrick Vineyards www.ryanpatrickvineyards.com  wines, so Susan asked if he’d like to taste the 2003 Rock Island Red, a vintage not open that day. The Rock Island Red in all its vintages is very popular and sells well. As I had never tasted the 2003, I tried it, too. Immediately, the dinner awaiting me at home in the oven came to mind. Should I buy a bottle and see if this older, more mellow wine would be a perfect complement to the slowly braised, aromatic lamb?

I should; I did; it was. 

What a lovely finish to an autumn day!  

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