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Bowl of agnello brodettato with bone-in lamb chunks in a pale egg-lemon sauce, topped with parsley on a wooden table

Agnello Brodettato: Roman Braised Lamb Egg-Lemon Sauce

Lamb shoulder braised until fork-tender, finished with a whisked egg, lemon, and pecorino sauce, a Roman Easter dish that works any weekend.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course (Italian home-style)
Cuisine: Italian (Roman)
Calories: 996
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Lamb Braise
  • 900 g lamb shoulder, bone-in, cut into 5 cm / 2-inch chunks or boneless leg, trimmed
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour for dusting
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped medium
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 50 g pancetta, diced optional
  • 150 ml dry white wine Frascati or Verdicchio
  • 500 ml chicken or lamb stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 fresh rosemary sprig
For the Egg-Lemon Sauce
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 60 ml fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
  • 40 g pecorino romano, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method
 

Brown and Braise the Lamb
  1. Pat the lamb chunks dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dust lightly with the flour, shaking off the excess.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a 5-quart / 4.7 L Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in two batches, about 4 minutes per side, so the pieces sear instead of steam. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, and pancetta to the same pot. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion turns soft and pale gold.
  4. Pour in the white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the wine reduces by half.
  5. Return the lamb to the pot with any juices. Add the stock, bay leaf, and rosemary sprig. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for about 1 hour 30 minutes, until the lamb is fork-tender, about 90 C / 195 F, and pulls easily from the bone.
Finish with Egg and Lemon
  1. Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig and discard. Skim off excess fat from the surface if needed.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, lemon juice, and pecorino romano until smooth.
  3. Ladle about 1 cup / 240 ml of the hot braising liquid into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly, to temper the eggs.
  4. Take the pot off the heat and slowly stir the tempered egg mixture back into the lamb. Return the pot to low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and stays below 80 C / 175 F. Do not let it boil or the eggs will scramble into curds.
  5. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and serve right away.

Notes

  • Brown lamb in batches, don't crowd the Dutch oven.
  • Sauce must stay below 80 C / 175 F or eggs will curdle.
  • Braise ahead up to 2 days, finish egg-lemon sauce fresh.
  • Discard bay leaf and rosemary before adding the egg mixture.