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Landscape image of Abbacchio alla cacciatora, a lamb stew dish with a vinegar and anchovy sauce from Rome, served on a plate of Italian rosemary roast potatoes.

Abbacchio alla Cacciatora

Roman lamb braise from Lazio. Diced lamb browned and slow-cooked on the stovetop with garlic, rosemary, sage, white wine, and white wine vinegar, finished with an anchovy and garlic paste stirred into the pan juices.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Equipment

  • Wide heavy-based pan with lid
  • Food processor or small blender
  • Tongs
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Sharp knife and chopping board

Ingredients

  • 800 grams lamb dice seasoned with salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs rosemary needles picked and finely chopped (discard stalk)
  • 2 sage leaves finely chopped
  • 4 anchovy fillets in oil
  • 100 ml white wine vinegar
  • 100 ml white wine
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 tbsp flour

Instructions

  • Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the oil in a wide pan over high heat and brown the lamb hard on all sides in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Pour the white wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce by half.
  • Add half the anchovies, half the garlic, the rosemary, sage, half the vinegar, and the bay leaf to the pan. Return the lamb, cover, and cook on a very low heat for 45-50 minutes until tender. Add little water if the stew becomes dry.
  • Blend the remaining anchovy fillets with the remaining garlic and remaining vinegar to a rough paste. When the lamb is cooked, stir the anchovy paste into the pan juices and let it bubble for 2-3 minutes.
  • Mix the flour with some water to make a slurry and add it in to the stew to thicken the sauce until you get a nice thick consistency that drips off a spoon.
  • Remove from the heat and rest for 20-30 minutes before serving.
  • Serve with Italian rosemary potatoes.

Notes

  1. Abbacchio romano IGP (milk-fed lamb) is the traditional cut. Outside Italy, diced lamb shoulder or leg works well. Shoulder gives a richer sauce.
  2. Oil-packed anchovy fillets work well here. Avoid anchovy paste from a tube - it lacks the depth of whole fillets.
  3. The resting time is as important in this stew as it is with roasted meat. The meat relaxes and the flavours settle in those 20-30 minutes.