Agnello Brasato
Agnello Brasato
Braised Lamb
I could watch flocks of sheep move in their undulating patterns across the hills of Sardinia all day. Lucky for me, it’s a pretty hard sight to miss, as the island has twice as many sheep as people. Accordingly, lamb is a popular protein and a feature of every holiday feast except the Catholic holidays that prohibit meat. During celebrations, you’ll find whole animals on the menu, while on regular days, Sardinians eat small cuts, roasted or braised. This recipe is straight from my friend chef Antonio Demuru’s playbook, a fun marriage of lamb and beer from his hometown of Ìsili about an hour north of Cagliari. He braises the lamb in Allenta, a hefeweizen brewed with indigenous yeasts by Arbareska Lab, until the meat is tender and its juices have reduced into a savory gravy with the beer. It’s one of the greatest things I have ever eaten. Use a sour wheat beer if you can’t get your hands on Allenta.
Serve with pomodori gratinati (see page 157).
Ingredients (7)
Ingredients (7)
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-low heat.
When the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion, rosemary, and a heavy pinch of salt and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.
Add the lamb, season with salt, and cook until browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the beer, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the alcohol aroma dissipates, 2 to 3 minutes.
Cover partially, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened, 40 to 50 minutes.
Serve the lamb with the juices from the pan poured over the top and a side of bread to mop up your plate.
If the sauce is too loose, transfer the lamb to a platter and reduce the liquid until thickened.
Notes
Notes
Here’s a serving idea (but don’t ever tell a Sardinian I said this): You can serve this dish over polenta. Such a combination would be highly unusual on any of the islands off Italy’s Tyrrhenian coast, but if you want to make agnello brasato a more robust meal, cook up a big pot of Venice’s signature cornmeal dish and serve the lamb and its juices on top. It might not be traditional, but it is a fun way to marry the traditions of two islands.
This recipe is part of the Food of the Italian Islands digital cookbook, and is only available once you've purchased the cookbook.
Purchase ($25.00)
