Name: Pignata of Lamb Stewed with Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 1¾ to 2 pounds broccoli rabe; ¼ cup chopped celery leaves; 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes; 1 medium onion, chopped; ¼ cup chopped celery rib; ½ cup packed coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley; 2 large garlic cloves, sliced; 1 ounce sliced pancetta or salami, shredded; ½ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper; Coarse salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1½ pounds boneless lamb shoulder; 2 ounces soft pecorino Toscana fresco or ricotta salata, crumbled; 2 ounces grated hard pecorino cheese; 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking

By Paula Wolfert

Published 2009

About

Pignatas are cooking vessels shaped like bean pots, and they play many roles in the Italian kitchen. For this Easter dish from the town of Bari in Puglia, you can substitute any flameproof ceramic pot to cook cubes of lamb shoulder slowly along with onions, tomatoes, and parsley. At a certain point, a huge amount of greens is added along with additional flavorings; then cooking continues slowly until the stew reaches luscious, succulent perfection.

Up to this point the dish c