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 RISTORANTE  d'ANNAMARIA

Hunter's Lamb - Abbacchio Alla Cacciatora

You've probably heard of chicken alla cacciatore. In Italian, cacciatore means hunter and the premise behind all "cacciatore" recipes is that they are recipes made with ingredients that any good hunter could find in the "woods" if he knew where and when to look for them. Years and years ago it was, of course, much easier to find vegetables and great tasting herbs growing in the wild. Today its more difficult to find them so we just go to the supermarket. Obviously lamb was never hunted being strictly a domestic animal but these kinds of vegetables and herbs can be used to prepare just about any kind of meat or fowl. In any case, give this dish a try and I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Ingredients for 4 persons

 Lamb Leg Meat                                    2 ½ pounds

Anchovies (packed in salt)                    2 or 3 large ones

Green chilies (fresh-not hot)                 2 to 4

Garlic (fresh)                                      1 large clove

Salt and Black Pepper                           to taste

Dry White Table Wine                          3 ounces

Red Wine Vinegar                                2 ounces

Olive Oil (extra virgin)                        4 - 6 tablespoons

How To Do It

Cut the lamb meat into small bite-sized pieces.

Rinse the anchovies to remove the excess salt and remove the tail and any tiny bones you might find.

Put the olive oil in a hot skillet over a medium to meium-high flame and add the anchovies.

Sautee the anchovies until they seem to start to dissolve.

Now add the garlic sautee as soon as it becomes a golden blond color add the lamb pieces and fry them until they are all well browned.

Season with the salt and black pepper, but remember, you can always add more salt and pepper, but you can never remove them if there is too much.

Now, coarsely cut the green chilies and add them to the skillet and let them start to turn a light brown color over a medium-high flame.

When the chilies have browned slightly, add the white wine and vinegar.

Cover and finish cooking over a low flame until the meat is very tender.

Serve hot.