Easter Spitzad

Originally posted in 2017. Reposting as it is that time of year again—springtime is Spitzad time! This year (2024) my cousin and i are debating the merits of using chickory vs the traditional dandelion greens. 

My cousin and I go back and forth, texting each other photos of the most-delicious thing we've created recently. And since it's Easter, he's reminding me to make a family favorite, "Spitzad". He's also making a traditional "wheat pie," but that wasn't something my grandfather was known for making--he was more well known for his rice pie. Spitzad is something my grandfather's mother would make.

Apparently, my great-grandmother would use dandelion greens in it in lieu of parsley; and my permutation on this is to use mint, as I think it pairs nicely with the lamb and the lemon juice.

A fine recipe that was my jumping off point was this recipe for Agnello Brodettato.

Here is my version:

Ingredients

1 lb lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into cubes

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 oz Bacon, prosciutto or pancetta, chopped

2 T Olive oil

Flour for dredging

(About) 1/4 Cup Dry Vermouth

Salt and pepper

Optional: 2 T garlic paste (for marinating)

For the egg and lemon finish:

2 whole eggs

Juice of one freshly squeezed lemon (I even used the zest of the lemon, too)

12 nice sized, fresh mint leaves, shredded

Procedure:

1. Marinate lamb cubes overnight in garlic paste.

2. Dredge cubes in flour, set aside.

3. Render out bacon in 1 T olive oil and about 1/4 cup water. Add onions, sweat them and let them cook until golden, then set aside.

4. Add 1 T olive oil to pan and start to brown lamb cubes. Once they are nicely browned, add onion mixture back to pot, then deglaze pot with vermouth, stirring up brown bits stuck to bottom of pot.

5. Add about 1 cup of water and put in a 300 degree oven (*covered*) for 2 hours -OR- cook in electric pressure cooker on high pressure for 25 minutes (letting the pot depressurize on its own).

6. Once lamb is thoroughly cooked, scramble eggs with the lemon juice, then slowly drizzle a little bit at a time, stirring constantly to keep eggs from setting, continue this process until all the egg mixture is incorporated--this helps fortify and thicken the gravy.

7. Add the mint leaves.

8. Taste. Adjust salt, and apply black pepper liberally, a nice fat pinch or a dozen twists on the pepper grinder should do it.