Lucanian lamb stew · One pot, gentle heat and tender meat
Agnello a Cutturidd with tomato and potatoes,a slow Lucanian lamb stew with onion, garlic, rosemary and bay
Agnello a cutturidd is a slow lamb stew associated with Basilicata and the Murgia borderlands, here cooked in one heavy pot with onion, tomato, potatoes, garlic, rosemary, bay and a little chilli until the meat is spoon-tender.
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cooking
- 1 h 50 min
- Passive time
- 10 min
- Total
- 2 h 25 min
- Per serving
- ≈ 670 kcal
01 · Identity, texture and technique
How this version is built
The method follows the dish rather than a fixed card count, with attention to moisture, heat and observable readiness.
Cutturidd belongs to a family of pastoral stews shared across Basilicata and neighbouring Murgia, with recipes changing according to locality and what vegetables were available. The Lucanian form is commonly described as lamb or older sheep cooked slowly with onion, tomato, herbs and, in many versions, potatoes. This batch chooses young lamb shoulder for a manageable home cooking time and keeps the vegetable profile visible in the supplied images.
Unlike a French-style stew built on flour and stock reduction, this pot gets body from onion, tomato, lamb collagen and potato starch. The meat is browned first for deeper flavour, but the browning is not pushed so far that fond scorches under the long braise. Onion and carrot soften in the rendered fat, tomato goes in next, and hot water supplies just enough liquid to let the contents simmer without turning the dish into soup.
Potatoes join after the lamb has already begun to soften. Adding them from the beginning would make the edges dissolve during a long braise, while adding them too late leaves a finished stew with firm centres. Large waxy chunks hold their shape and release only a little starch. Rosemary and bay stay restrained; chilli should warm the broth rather than dominate it. The pot is kept covered for most of the cook and uncovered near the end only if the liquid still looks thin.
The readiness test is tenderness rather than a minimum lamb temperature. Braising meat goes far beyond the safe 63 °C threshold in order to soften connective tissue. A fork or spoon should enter with little resistance, and the potato should be completely tender without collapsing. A ten-minute rest off heat allows bubbling to stop and the broth to settle around the solids. The stew can be made a day ahead; slow reheating often produces an even more integrated sauce.
Use shoulder-sized pieces
Lamb shoulder contains enough connective tissue and fat to stay succulent through a long simmer.
Add potatoes partway through
They become fully tender without dissolving into the broth before the lamb is ready.
Keep the simmer quiet
Hard boiling tightens meat fibres and breaks vegetables; small lazy bubbles are enough for the braise.
02 · Measured components
Ingredients for 6 servings
Ingredient groups follow the actual components prepared at different points in the workflow.
For the cutturidd
- 1.2 kglamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm piecesTrim only very large exterior fat deposits.
- 40 mlextra virgin olive oil
- 250 gonion, sliced
- 120 gcarrot, cut into thick coins
- 3garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 400 gpeeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 600 gwaxy potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 350 mlhot waterAdd a little more only if the pot dries before the meat is tender.
- 5 gfresh rosemary
- 2bay leaves
- 1 gdried chilli flakes
- 10 gfine salt
- 2 gblack pepper
- 15 gflat-leaf parsley, choppedFor the finish.
03 · Executable method
Preparation method
Timing is paired with visible, tactile or temperature-based cues so the recipe does not depend on the clock alone.
Brown the lamb
Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in batches for 8–10 minutes total, then return all pieces to the pot.
The meat should show several well-browned faces without blackened fond.Soften the aromatics
Add onion and carrot and cook 7 minutes, scraping the base. Add garlic, rosemary, bay and chilli for the final minute.
The onion should soften and the garlic should smell fragrant without darkening.Add tomato and begin the braise
Add crushed tomatoes, hot water, salt and pepper. Bring only to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 60 minutes.
Small bubbles should appear around the edge rather than a rolling boil.Add the potatoes
Stir in the potato chunks, cover again and simmer 35–40 minutes. Turn the pieces once or twice with a broad spoon rather than stirring hard.
The potato should be fully tender and the lamb should yield easily when pressed with a fork.Reduce if needed
Uncover and simmer 10–15 minutes only if the broth is still thin. Taste and adjust salt.
The liquid should coat the meat and vegetables but remain spoonable.Rest and finish
Remove rosemary stems and bay leaves. Rest the covered pot for 10 minutes, then fold in parsley and serve in warm bowls.
The stew should settle into a glossy broth with distinct lamb and potato pieces.
04 · Serving and handling
Serving, make-ahead and storage
Guidance stays specific to the texture and food-safety needs of this dish.
Serving
Serve in deep bowls with crusty bread. The broth should be generous enough for dipping but not so thin that the solids float.
Make-ahead
Cool the stew rapidly and refrigerate overnight. Fat can be lifted from the cold surface, then the stew reheated slowly the next day.
Storage
Use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. Reheat to 74 °C, adding a small splash of water only if the sauce has tightened too much.
05 · Approximate nutrition per serving
Nutrition estimate
Calculated as a practical estimate from the complete ingredient quantities and stated yield; brands, trimming, oil absorption and portioning change the final values.
- Calories
- ≈ 670 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- ≈ 25 g
- Protein
- ≈ 47 g
- Fat
- ≈ 42 g
- Fibre
- ≈ 4 g
- Sodium
- ≈ 760 mg
Serving: 1 deep bowl. Allergen note: The basic stew contains no major declarable allergens. Values are approximate, not laboratory measurements.
