This hearty Italian recipe for braised lamb cutlets, from Ursula Ferrigno’s new cookbook Cucina dell’Emilia-Romagna, is cooked low and slow for maximum flavour and melt-in-the-mouth softness
BRAISED LAMB CUTLETS BY URSULA FERRIGNO. IMAGE: RITA PLATTS
I picked up this dish during my time in Ravenna. It is a magnificent way to cook lamb low and slow, which works especially well if it is not spring lamb. The onions are cooked to a melting sweetness, while the black olives enrich the dish and give it a smoky taste. The cutlets can be finished off in a medium–hot oven instead of cooking on the stovetop. They are also very good reheated.
Braised Lamb Cutlets With Onions, Herbs & Olives (Costolette Di Agnello Con Cipolle E Olive)
Ingredients
- 8–12 lamb cutlets or chops depending on size
- 100 ml olive oil
- 1 kg onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary plus extra sprigs to serve
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil drained, rinsed and chopped
- 15 stoned black olives
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season the lamb cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat half the oil in a large frying pan until very hot, then add the cutlets and quickly brown on both sides. Remove to a plate and leave to cool.
- Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the onions. Cook over a gentle heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, but do not let them brown. Stir in the chopped herbs, anchovies and olives, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return the cutlets to the pan, arranging them on top of the bed of onions, and cover with a lid. Cook over a very low heat for 20 minutes, checking regularly to make sure that the onions do not catch and burn. Scatter over a few rosemary sprigs before serving at the table direct from the pan.
Taken from Cucina dell’Emilia-Romagna by Ursula Ferrigno, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£25). Photography by Rita Platts © Ryland Peters & Small
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