There is a
saying in Italian: Natale con i tuoi
e Pasqua con chi vuoi (‘Christmas
with your family and Easter with whomever you want’). And who you want to feast
with is as important as what you eat: food is the centre of celebrations, and
tradition has it that lamb is the symbol of Easter.
In Christian
symbolism, the lamb has an important role. In the book of Genesis, Abraham
offered to sacrifice his son, and God accepted the sacrifice of a lamb in his
place. Jesus is referred to as ‘the lamb of God.’ Since some time before the
tenth century, whole roast lamb has been a traditional feature of the pope’s
special Easter dinner. At this time of year, it is not uncommon to find bread
in the shape of lambs or rice timbales shaped into lambs, cloves and
peppercorns placed strategically to create the eyes and mouth.
In the past, it was considered good
luck to meet a lamb, particularly at Easter time. It was believed that the
devil, who could disguise himself in many ways, could not take on the appearance
of a lamb, so strong was its religious symbolism.
I find the best luck is meeting lamb
at the table, so here I share my Tuscan recipe of spalla di agnello al
forno (roast shoulder of lamb), which traditionally would be stuffed with
onions, carrots and sometimes sausages and bread. Instead, I like to use
prosciutto chopped to a fine paste with garlic and rosemary.
Eggs are another symbol of Easter,
and a good start to Easter Sunday is to come back from morning Mass with uova benedette (‘blessed eggs’):
the boiled and sometimes coloured eggs that are taken to church to be blessed.
As children, we would boil pink and yellow eggs, using the skins of yellow
onions in the cooking water to produce the yellow colouring, and beetroot to
create the pink. Coffee works well to produce brown eggs and boiled spinach for
green ones. Add a splash of vinegar to the coloured water to set the dyes.
These eggs are best when cold, and simply peeled, salted and eaten as a snack
or starter to the main Easter Sunday meal.
Early spring brings many treats from
the garden, and my favourite starter this time of the year is also the most
simple: fave
e pecorino, fava beans removed from their pods and eaten raw with fresh Tuscan
pecorino cheese; these are great to nibble on while preparing the lamb. A nice
dish to prepare before the agnello is pasta ai carciofi, a fresh pasta
with the new season’s artichokes and some salty grated pecorino to finish.
Buon appetito e buona Pasqua!
RECIPE
Roasted lamb, potatoes with rosemary and fennel, and spring peas
INGREDIENTS
Una spalla di agnello, one lamb shoulder, boned and flattened
out
RIPIENO, FILLING:
100g prosciutto Toscano, sliced thinly with the fat on
1 head garlic, peeled
1 small bunch rosemary
Grated pecorino cheese
A loosely filled cup fresh white
breadcrumbs
¼ cup milk
1 egg
Salt, pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 glass white wine
SIDE DISHES:
Roasted potatoes
Fresh pork and fennel sausages
Fresh spring peas
PREPARATION
For the filling, start by poaching the
whole head of garlic in boiling water for 10 minutes until the cloves begin to
soften; drain, cool, peel and chop finely. Wash the rosemary, strip off the
leaves and chop finely, and add it to the garlic. Take the prosciutto and slice
it all, including the fat, into a fine dice. Add all the filling ingredients
together and mix with a spoonful of oil and all of the milk. You are aiming for
a fairly firm consistency, not too wet.
Spread this mixture onto the lamb, roll into a log and tie up with
string, tying the open ends.
Rub oil over the outside of the lamb,
season with salt and pepper, and place into an oven with a heated oven tray at
225 degrees Celsius. After 15 minutes the meat will have sealed to keep the
juices in, pour over the glass of wine and put back in the oven turning down to
180 degrees Celsius; depending on how big the lamb shoulder is, it shouldn’t
take more than a couple of hours.
Patate arrosto, roasted potatoes with rosemary and fennel
In the meantime, peel some potatoes and pod
some spring peas to accompany the lamb: drizzle the peeled potatoes olive oil,
season with fennel seeds and freshly chopped rosemary, salt and pepper, and
throw into the roasting dish to surround the lamb and get flavour from the
juices.
Pork and fennel sausages: Add the sausages
to the roasting dish once the potatoes are half cooked.
Piselli di primavera, spring peas
Now pod some tasty fresh seasonal peas,
cook in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, set aside. Dice a red onion and
sauté in some oil until soft. Add a small amount of sliced prosciutto and cook
until tender. Add the peas and continue to cook with a cup of the cooking
liquid until the peas pick up the flavour of the onion and prosciutto.
Once the meat is cooked, let it rest out of
the oven in a warm place for 20 minutes before slicing. Remove the string and
slice into rounds that show the filling in the middle. Serve with the potatoes,
peas and cut-up sausages, pouring over the remaining juices in the pan.
WINE MATCH
A special holiday dinner deserves a special
wine. My choice is a Brunello di Montalcino Docg 2005 Bellaria. The big
flavours of the lamb with the prosciutto and fennel stand up well to this wine.
