Abbacchio Brodettato
Abbacchio Brodettato
Easter lamb in eggy sauce
Katie Parla•
March 20, 2026
Rome doesn’t need an excuse to eat lamb, but abbacchio brodettato—a dish of tender braised suckling lamb cloaked in an egg-thickened sauce—feels particularly tied to Easter, when lamb is the star of the table and eggs symbolize resurrection. The name comes from brodo, meaning “broth,” but what makes this dish stand out is the finish: egg yolks and lemon juice whisked into the cooking liquid, creating a silky, golden sauce that clings to the meat. It’s among Rome’s many disappearing dishes and few trattorie serve it, though Sora Lella on the Tiber Island has it when suckling lambs are in season, and Santo Palato serves it around Easter. Season the lamb with salt 24 hours in advance.
Ingredients (13)
Ingredients (13)
Instructions
Season the lamb (3 ½ lb) with salt. Transfer to a covered container and refigerate overnight.
The next day, remove the lamb from the refrigerator about 90 minutes before you intend to cook and pat dry with paper towels.
Pour the flour into a shallow bowl and season with salt.
Heat the olive oil (2 Tbsp) in a large pot over medium heat.
Dredge the lamb in the flour, shaking off any excess, and add it to the pan. Cook until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Add the garlic (1 clove) and prosciutto (3 slices) and cook just until the garlic starts to take on color, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine (1 cup), scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Once the alcohol aroma dissipates, about 1 minute, return the meat to the pan.
Add enough broth so that the lamb is about halfway submerged and simmer, partially covered, until fork-tender, and falling off the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Add more broth to the pot as needed to keep the lamb partially submerged. Remove from the heat.
Just before serving, whisk together the egg yolks (4 large), lemon juice (3 Tbsp), parsley (1 Tbsp), and marjoram (1 Tbsp) in a small bowl.
Temper the egg mixture by pouring in a few ounces of the very warm broth.
Add the tempered egg mixture to the pot and return to low heat, stirring, taking care not to scramble the eggs (tempering should reduce this risk).
Remove the pot from the heat. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
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