I’ve included two recipes.  The first is the classical Roman recipe.  The second is a Spanish recipe provided by a good friend from Spain.

Abbacchio Cosciotto al Forno, a Classical Roman Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 legs of lamb, bone in
  • 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 sprig of rosemary [how much? You didn’t specify]
  • 1 cup (250 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup (250 ml) of WHITE wine?
  • Salt and black pepper

Preparation

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 F (220 C).
  2. Chop black pepper, salt, rosemary, and 3 garlic cloves and mix well. Use a knife to make several small “holes” or deep cuts along/inside the leg of the abbacchio. Massage the leg with the spice mixture, pushing it into the holes.
  3. Put the onion, celery stocks, and carrot on the bottom of a roasting pan large enough to accommodate the two legs of lamb. Lay the legs of lamb over the chopped vegetables, then pour some olive oil all over it.
  4. Put the roasting pan in the oven, uncovered. After 10 minutes, turn the legs of lamb, and roast for 10 more minutes.  Add 1 cup of white wine and enough water to cover for about ½ inch (1 cm) the bottom of the pan. Turn down the oven to 350 F (180 C) and continue to cook 40 minutes per side, for a total total cooking time of about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
  5. Put the legs on a board to let them cool. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the roasting pan. In the meantime, de-glaze the roasting liquids by turning on a burner to boil the liquid. Use a wooden spoon detach all the adhered pieces of meat from the roasting pan.  Pour this sauce over the lamb and serve.
  6. Buon appetito!

Abbacchio Cosciotto, from the Brugarolas Family in Spain

This recipe is from my friend and colleague Jim Brugarolas, a top Spanish scientist, who works at University of Texas Southwestern. It’s the Brugarolas family recipe, and I love it

Ingredients

  • 8 sprigs of fresh thyme, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • Salt
  • ¾ cup olive oil, divided

Preparation

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
  2. With a knife, make holes/cuts into the leg of the lamb.
  3. Remove the leaves from about 6 sprigs of thyme and chop 2 garlic cloves add some salt and mix well. Massage this mixture with some olive oil around the leg and push some of it inside the holes/cuts you made.
  4. Place the leg directly into the roasting pan and pour over it 1/2 cup of olive oil and water for a depth of about 1 cm. Add 2 more springs of thyme and a couple of smashed garlic cloves. Put in the oven at 350, uncovered, and roast for 1 and half hours.
  5. Serve the legs of lamb, using the liquid from roasting it as a delicious sauce.
  6. Buon appetito!