The term “abbacchio” is the Italianization of the Latin word “baculum“ (meaning near the stick). The baculum was the wooden stick in the ground, where the baby lamb were tied up, to make sure that they did not run away and to make sure that their mother always remained close by to feed them. With time, the term “abbacchiare” became Lazio slang to say to beat or kill with a stick, until it formally became part of the Italian language where the word is used as an adjective to describe a person who is upset or distraught. An ancient tradition that has given rise to more than a hundred historical dishes, among which the famous lamb roast with diced potatoes, lamb chops and the lamb “alla cacciatora”, which arouses real tasteful emotions.
Ingredients
1 kg of lamb
100 ml of white wine
4 rosemary sprigs
4 salted anchovies
A couple sage leaves
4 spoonfuls of olive oil
100 ml of white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Directions
Marinate the lamb overnight in olive oil, white wine and rosemary. In a baking pan, place the olive oil and roast the lamb over high heat. Add the rosemary, sage, garlic, salt, pepper and stir to enrich the flavor. Pour the wine and the vinegar and let it evaporate, then add a glass of boiling water, cover it with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven at 180C degrees for about 45 minutes. While the lamb finishes cooking, take a few tablespoons of the meat’s natural gravy, put it in a small saucepan and let the spineless and salt less anchovies dissolve in it. When they dissolve, pour the sauce over the meat, letting it season the meat until it is done cooking.
