P
Italian · Molise
Agnello Brodettato alla Molisana con Uova e Limone
Molise's Easter lamb — young lamb pieces braised in white wine and broth until tender, then finished with a brodetto of beaten eggs, Pecorino, and lemon juice stirred into the hot cooking juices to create a rich, creamy-acidic sauce. The brodetto technique (egg-lemon emulsification into hot meat juices) is the Molisano equivalent of the Greek avgolemono — both produce a creamy, tangy sauce from the same ingredients. Eaten only at Easter in Molise, when the lamb is at its most delicate.
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I
The Market List
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1.2 kg
agnello lattante (milk lamb, under 4 weeks old)
cut into pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 ml
dry white wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 ml
water
Your own market
2
garlic cloves
Your own market
2
bay leaves
For the brodetto
3
eggs
beaten
Your own market
60 g
Pecorino
finely grated
Your own market
1
lemon
juice only
Your own market
1 pinch
fresh marjoram
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Place the lamb pieces in a wide, heavy pan with the white wine, water, garlic, and bay leaves, then bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and braise, partially covered, until the meat is completely tender and the cooking juices are clear and lightly reduced. A wide pan is deliberate here, so the pieces lie in a single layer and cook evenly rather than steaming unevenly in a tight stack. The flesh should yield without resistance when pressed.
2
Beat the eggs, grated Pecorino, and lemon juice together in a bowl until fully combined, so the acid and fat from the cheese are thoroughly worked into the eggs before they meet any heat. This gives the mixture an even, cohesive body that will flow smoothly into the hot juices rather than separating on contact. Keep this bowl close to hand — the next step moves quickly.
3
Remove the bay leaves and garlic, then reduce the cooking juices if necessary so they remain concentrated but plentiful. Take the pan off direct heat and allow the liquid to fall to approximately 80 °C — hot enough to thicken the eggs, but no longer simmering — so the brodetto has room to come together as a creamy sauce rather than seizing. This is where the dish lives or dies: if the juices are still boiling when the egg mixture enters, the brodetto scrambles instantly rather than binding into silk.
4
Pour the egg-Pecorino-lemon mixture into the hot cooking juices in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly, so the eggs temper gradually and the sauce builds body without lumping. Continue stirring without pause, moving a wooden spoon through the entire pan, until the sauce thickens to a consistency that coats the back of the spoon in a creamy, uniform layer.
5
Scatter the fresh marjoram over the pan. Serve immediately in warmed deep plates with rustic bread, because the brodetto does not reheat successfully and will split if it waits.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Agnello lattante sourced from a single Molisano hill farm, slaughtered at under four weeks; Pecorino di Capracotta or another local aged Molisano Pecorino, hand-grated to order; eggs from free-range hens, yolks deeply pigmented; unwaxed Amalfi or Sorrento lemon for its low-bitterness juice.
02
Estate — Certified Italian milk lamb; a quality aged Pecorino Romano; good free-range eggs; an unwaxed Italian lemon. The brodetto will be excellent if the temperature discipline is precise.
03
Market — The youngest available lamb from a reliable butcher; a well-aged Pecorino from any southern Italian producer; standard free-range eggs; any unwaxed lemon. Sound results with attentive technique.
04
House — Lamb pieces from a general butcher — the older the animal, the more the brodetto is overwhelmed by the meat's character. The dish remains identifiable but loses the delicacy that defines it at Easter in Molise.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Lamb yields without resistance when pressed — the braise is complete.
◇Sight. Cooking juices are clear, lightly reduced, and no longer moving — the liquid has fallen below simmering and is ready for the brodetto.
◇Sight. The sauce coats the back of a spoon in a creamy, uniform layer — the emulsification is complete and the dish is ready to serve.
◇Where it lives or dies. The cooking juices must be hot (approximately 80 °C) but not boiling when the egg-Pecorino-lemon mixture is added: boiling causes instant scrambling; any lower and the sauce will not thicken to its characteristic creamy coating consistency.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sparkling wine
From British Columbia
2023 seven stars VEGA
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Naramata Bench
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Penticton →Sparkling wine
Without alcohol
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