CHIAVARI, Italy – This
Italian life that I live began long before I moved to Italy. It started back in
upstate New York when I was really young. We lived in an apartment next to my
Italian grandparents, in a big building that had a large basement. My Grandfather
used to make wine in one section of that basement and I remember going down
there with him. Every now and again would check on the fermenting grape juice
to make sure it was doing what it was supposed to be doing – turning into wine.
 |
| Lamb grazing under a Roman Aquaduct |
Every now and again there
would be something else in the basement, a baby lamb. It would be tied up in
the same area as the wine barrels and when I would go down to check on the wine
with my Grandfather, I would play with the lamb while he did whatever you do
when you are checking on fermenting grapes.
And then the lamb would be
gone. I didn’t think too much about it, in fact it never occurred to me that
the only thing that had happened between the last time I played with the lamb
to the next time when the lamb was gone, was Easter.
 |
| Butcher Shop at Eataly in Torino, Italy |
So ever since I’ve been in
Italy I’ve been looking for a leg of lamb that looks and tastes like the one my
Grandmother used to put on the table on Easter Sundays. That leg of lamb was
crispy brown and juicy and studded with slivers of garlic and rosemary that
even thinking about it makes my mouth water. But I’ve never found it. The lamb
they sell here in Italy is baby lamb, but so baby that there isn’t any meat on
it. To me, the lamb they sell looks like a pile of bones. It is a pile of bones.
But once, a few years back,
I saw what looked like a real leg of lamb (my idea of a real leg of lamb). It
was at Carrefour, a French grocery chain that is very popular here in Italy. I
snatched that leg of lamb up and practically ran home with it, put it in a
roasting pan and cooked it. There was no
waiting around for a special occasion to eat that baby, it was enough of a special occasion to have
found it.
It may have looked like the
leg of lamb of my dreams, but it didn’t taste anything like it. I knew I had cooked it alla Nonna because I’d
cooked legs of lamb before, but there was something about this lamb that just
didn’t taste right. The store only offered legs of lamb that size that one
time. I’ve never seen them again. So
I’ve given up . However, on the outside chance that you can find some meaty
lamb where you live, here’s an Italian recipe from Italy’s leading newspaper,
Corriere della Sera, for lamb alla Romana.
After the recipe was
published one viewer wrote, “Anchovy filets and vinegar in lamb alla Romana?
Who invents these recipes?”
 |
| Roast Lamb alla Nonna |
It leads me to doubt the
authenticity of the recipe but if you take out the anchovy filets, vinegar and
the flour, it’s basically the same recipe my Grandmother and I use. The
difference is I cut slits in the meat with a sharp knife, sliver the garlic and
with a little rosemary push them into the slits. I rub the leg of lamb with
some olive oil and it is ready to go into the oven. If it isn’t browning enough, you can simply
turn up the oven temperature for about ten minutes toward the end of the cooking time. a Or you
can be brave and give the Corriere della Sera recipe a try. I just hope my
Grandmother isn’t reading this.
Abbacchio
alla Romano
Serves
4
2
lbs of leg and shoulder of lamb (or a decent size leg of lamb)
3
cloves of garlic
3
anchovy filets (preserved in salt)
1
sprig of rosemary
3
tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
½
cup vinegar
Flour
Salt
and pepper
Crush the peeled garlic
along with the anchovy filets (that have been well rinsed). When the garlic and
rosemary become a smooth paste, dilute it with the vinegar.
On the stove, add the oil to
a frying pan and add the sprig of rosemary. When the oil begins to smoke,
remove the rosemary and add the pieces of lamb that have been lightly floured.
Brown the meat well on both
sides, then remove it from the frying pan and set aside. Season with salt and
pepper.
Reduce the cooking juices by
two thirds. Put the lamb back into the frying pan with the cooking juices and
cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
No comments:
Post a Comment