I am afraid that here is another recipe by Gennaro Contaldo from ‘The Two Greedy Italians” and also a little history lesson, which I hope doesn’t bore you to much but a story that I find fascinating.

As Gennaro says in the book, food and religion have always gone hand in hand in Italy, as both are so basic to everyday existence. One of the earliest and most distinguished of Italian Cookery Books came about because of the relationship between religion and food: here is a little history about Bartolomeo Scappi, I hope you enjoy it and find it as interesting as I do.

Bartolomeo Scappi (c. 1500 – 13 April 1577) was a famous Renaissance chef, his origins had been the subject of speculation, but a recent research shows that he came from the town of Dumenza in Lombardy, according to the inscription on a stone plaque in the church of Luino.

Prior to this, the first known fact in his life had been that in April 1536, he organized a banquet while he was in the service of Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio. He served several other cardinals after this, then began to serve pope Pius IV, entering the service of the Vatican kitchen. He continued to work as a chef for the pope Pius V.

He acquired fame in 1570 when his monumental cookbook Opera dell’arte del cucinare was published. In the book he lists approximately 1000 recipes of the Renaissance cuisine and describes cooking techniques and tools, giving the first known picture of a fork. He declared parmesan to be the best cheese on earth!

Reprints of Opera were continually published from 1570 to 1643.

Scappi revolutionized the kitchen of his time through new preparation methods and the use of ingredients imported from America.

Scappi died on 13 April 1577 and was buried in the church of SS. Vincenzo and Anastasio alla Regola, dedicated to cooks and bakers.

This recipe is fitting to Scappi because it is very traditional to eat lamb at Easter with fresh peas and a dish like this is not uncommon for an Easter Sunday Lunch with the whole family gathering together to celebrate one of the most important religious feasts of the year.

I know I am a little late for Easter but lamb is at its most tender in May and June and only continues to improve as the season progresses.

Buon appetito
(Thanks to Hubby for cooking this tonight, it was gorgeous)

Serves 6

1 kg/2lb 2oz boned lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150ml/5fl oz extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
20g/¾oz anchovy fillets
handful fresh thyme sprigs
1 red chilli, sliced
250ml/9fl oz white Wine
25ml/1fl oz white wine vinegar
250g/9oz fresh or frozen peas
400g/14oz potatoes, skin on, cut into quarters
200g/7oz cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 loaves crusty bread, sliced and toasted

Season the lamb chunks with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions, carrot and celery for 4-5 minutes or until softened.

Add the garlic, anchovies, thyme and chilli and continue to cook, stirring, until the anchovies have almost dissolved into the oil.

Add the lamb to the pan and fry until browned all over.

Stir in the wine and continue to cook until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half, then add the vinegar. Reduce the heat , cover and simmer gently for a further 20 minutes.

Add the peas, potatoes and tomatoes, cover again and continue to cook for about an hour or until the sauce has reduced by half.

Remove from the heat and serve with lots of good toasted bread.

Please don’t let the anchovy fillets put you off, they are used so much in Italian cooking and they are only there as another layer of flavour, you will not be over powered with a fishy taste, I promise. Hubby and I never let on to the Children that they are there and they never notice!