Il Verdetto di Pasqua + Sella & Mosca Terre Rare Riserva Carignano #ItalianFWT

Today the Italian Food Wine & Travel bloggers are sharing Italian Easter Wines and Food. Jen of Vino Travels is our hostess.

One thing I loved about my Easter in Rome was that it was about the resurrection and not about Peeps and Cadbury Eggs! It was about something sacred. It was about family. And it was about food. Well, maybe it wasn't about food, but food is how I commemorate and celebrate, so it was about food for me.

Here's what the #ItalianFWT crew is sharing...

• Jen from Vino Travels features Easter Celebrations in Puglia
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla features Il Verdetto di Pasqua +Sella & Mosca Terre Rare Riserva Carignano
• Susannah of Avvinare features Easter Traditions in Rome
• Jill of L'Occasion features 5 Italian Easter Dishes and Wine Pairings

If you are seeing this early enough, come join our live Twitter chat on Saturday April 1st @ 11am EST using hashtag #ItalianFWT. Ci vediamo! And, looking forward, next month, Gwendolyn of Wine Predator will lead a discussion of Italian Sparkling Wines. Stay tuned for that.

In My Glass...

I don't know that this is particularly Easter-y wine, but it's definitely the one I wanted to pair with my Easter-y dish. I have always loved Sardinian wines and this one is no different. This 2012 Sella & Mosca Terre Rare Carignano del Sulcis Riserva is a single varietal made from the Carignano grape.

My first impression of the 2012 Sella & Mosca Terre Rare Carignano del Sulcis Riserva was a complete transportation back to Sardinia. Sticking my nose in the glass, I reveled in the dried herbs, evergreen, and spice aromas. On the tongue, I got those same notes along with understated fruits and a tinge of balsamic. Lots of minerality and hefty acidity lent this wine a lot of character at a reasonable price point. I thoroughly enjoyed this and regret not having any more bottles to uncork.

On My Plate...
After a day of sledding near in the Cascade Lakes area below Mt. Bachelor, last week in Central Oregon, I finally had time to make my version of il verdetto di Pasqua while Jake took the boys to the pool.

We love lamb at all times of the year, but I especially like to serve it for Christian holidays, especially Easter. Agnus dei - lamb of God - and all!

Traditionally verdetto is a rich, savory stew made even more decadent by the addition of eggs and grated cheese to coat the meat and vegetables with an unctuous cream. It's very common dish for Easter but especially for the Monday following, called Pasquetta or Pasqualino. I prefer to do my lamb as a roast and made the sauce to spoon over the meat slices like a gravy.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless lamb (you can use shoulder, I used the leg)
• 6 to 7 whole garlic cloves
• 1 white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 T butter
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 C dry white wine
• 2 C fresh shelled peas
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 C grated pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1/2 C fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cut slits in the roast and stuff the whole, peeled cloves into the slits. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper over the roast.

In a skillet large enough to hold the roast, melt 1 T butter in olive oil. Add the onion slices and cook until the onion is softened and beginning to turn translucent. Spoon the onions into a baking dish.

In the same pan, melt remaining tablespoon of butter. Sear the lamb on all sides, approximately 1 to 2 minutes per side. Place the lamb into the baking dish on top of the onions.

Deglaze the pan with white wine and bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any bits of meat and onions.

Pour the wine over the lamb and cover with foil. Roast to 90 minutes.

Just before the 90 minutes are up, blanch and drain your peas. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs, grated cheese, and parsley. Remove the roast from the oven and carefully uncover it. Whisk 1 ladle full of the cooking juices into the eggs, tempering the eggs so that they don't scramble. Spoon the egg mixture over the entire roast, stirring to combine all of the cooking juice into a creamy sauce.

Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing into the roast. Carve the meat into thin slices and serve on individual plates with a generous topping of the sauce.

I served slices of lamb, covered in the sauce, with a side of roasted purple potatoes. Che squisito!