Chef Graziella
Abbacchio a Scottadito
Roman lamb chops grilled over scorching heat, seasoned with nothing but salt, rosemary, and fire. You eat them with your hands, straight from the grill, burning your fingers because you cannot wait.
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Abbacchio alla Romana
Created by
Roman milk-fed lamb cut like a chicken, braised with wine, rosemary, and anchovy until the meat surrenders to the fork. The anchovy disappears. The flavor does not.
Main Dishes
Italian, Roman
Easter
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
20 min
Active Time
1 hr 30 min cook•1 hr 50 min total
Yield6 servings
In Rome, Easter means abbacchio. The word itself tells you everything: it comes from the Latin for 'young lamb,' and in the markets around Campo de' Fiori, the butchers display whole carcasses no bigger than a house cat. This is milk-fed lamb, slaughtered before it ever tastes grass, and its flesh is pale, delicate, and impossibly tender.
The Romans cut abbacchio into pieces the way Americans cut chicken, through the bone, creating portions that braise evenly and release their marrow into the sauce. The cooking method is direct. Brown the meat. Add garlic, rosemary, anchovies, wine. Cover and wait. The anchovies dissolve completely, leaving no trace of themselves except a depth of flavor that makes people ask what your secret is. You do not tell them.
What you keep out matters here as much as what you put in. There is no tomato in true abbacchio alla romana. There is no onion, no carrot, no celery. The lamb speaks for itself, supported by wine and herbs and the invisible hand of the anchovy. If your lamb is good, you need nothing else. If your lamb is not good, no amount of ingredients will save you.
Abbacchio alla romana has been the Easter centerpiece in Roman households since at least the Renaissance, when the spring lamb slaughter coincided with Pasqua celebrations. The dish appears in early Roman cookbooks as 'abbacchio alla cacciatora' or hunter's style, though the addition of anchovy distinguishes the specifically Roman preparation from similar lamb dishes across central Italy.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
milk-fed lamb shoulder and leg
Quantity
3 pounds
cut into 2-inch pieces with bone
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/4 cup
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
peeled and lightly crushed
fresh rosemary
Quantity
2 sprigs
anchovy fillets
Quantity
4
packed in olive oil
dry white wine
Quantity
1 cup
white wine vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| milk-fed lamb shoulder and legcut into 2-inch pieces with bone | 3 pounds |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/4 cup |
| garlic clovespeeled and lightly crushed | 4 |
| fresh rosemary | 2 sprigs |
| anchovy filletspacked in olive oil | 4 |
| dry white wine | 1 cup |
| white wine vinegar | 2 tablespoons |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 5-quart Dutch oven or braising pan with lid
- •Wooden spoon
- •Tongs for turning lamb
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the lamb
Pat the lamb pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of browning. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Let the meat come to room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients, about 30 minutes.
- 2
Brown the lamb
In a heavy braising pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers but does not smoke. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the lamb pieces on all sides. This takes 3 to 4 minutes per side. The meat should develop a deep golden crust. Transfer browned pieces to a plate. Do not rush this step.
If you crowd the pan, the meat will steam instead of brown. Steam produces gray lamb. Gray lamb produces sad guests. Brown in batches. - 3
Build the aromatics
Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add the crushed garlic cloves and the rosemary sprigs. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden, about one minute. Add the anchovy fillets. Stir and press them with a wooden spoon until they dissolve completely into the fat. This takes only 30 seconds. They should vanish.
The anchovies are essential but invisible. They add a depth of flavor that no one will identify as fish. If you tell your guests there is anchovy in the dish, they may claim to taste it. Do not tell them. - 4
Deglaze with wine
Return all the lamb pieces to the pan, nestling them in a single layer if possible. Pour in the white wine and the vinegar. The liquid will sizzle and steam. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. These are flavor. Let the wine come to a boil.
- 5
Braise the lamb
Reduce the heat to low. The liquid should simmer gently, with only occasional bubbles breaking the surface. Cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape. Braise until the lamb is completely tender and beginning to fall from the bone, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the pieces once or twice during cooking.
True abbacchio, milk-fed lamb no more than a month old, cooks more quickly and is more delicate. Older lamb requires the full time and perhaps more. Test by piercing with a fork. When it slides in without resistance, the lamb is ready. - 6
Finish the sauce
When the lamb is tender, remove the lid entirely. If the sauce seems thin, raise the heat slightly and simmer uncovered until it reduces to a consistency that coats the meat. If it has reduced too much during braising, add a splash of water. Taste and adjust salt. The sauce should be glossy, concentrated, and cling to the lamb.
- 7
Serve immediately
Transfer the lamb to a warm serving platter. Spoon the sauce and the softened garlic cloves over the meat. Discard the rosemary sprigs or leave them for presentation. Serve at once with good bread to soak up the sauce, or with roasted potatoes. Romans do not waste the sauce. Neither should you.
Chef Tips
- •True abbacchio is milk-fed lamb under 30 days old and weighs no more than 10 kilograms. In America, this is nearly impossible to find. Young domestic lamb, sometimes labeled 'spring lamb' or 'hothouse lamb,' is your best substitute. Avoid mature lamb or mutton, which is too strong for this delicate preparation.
- •Ask your butcher to cut the lamb into pieces with the bone. The bone contributes gelatin to the sauce and helps the meat stay moist during braising. Boneless lamb shoulder will work but produces a less silky sauce.
- •The vinegar is not optional. It brightens the sauce and cuts through the richness of the lamb fat. Use good white wine vinegar, not harsh distilled vinegar.
- •This dish reheats well the next day. The flavors deepen overnight. Add a splash of water when reheating to restore the sauce's consistency.
Advance Preparation
- •The lamb can be browned up to one day ahead and refrigerated. Complete the braising just before serving.
- •The finished dish holds well in a low oven (200°F) for up to 45 minutes, covered, while you attend to your guests.
- •Leftovers keep refrigerated for three days. Reheat gently with a splash of water or wine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
455 calories
Total Fat
34 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
110 mg
Sodium
580 mg
Total Carbohydrates
1 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
37 g
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