Cutturiddu Lucano
A rustic shepherd's stew of slow-simmered lamb or mutton with wild greens, onions, and tomatoes from the rugged interior of Basilicata.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 110 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 560 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy-based Dutch oven or earthenware casserole
- •Chopping board
- •Chef's knife
- •Wooden spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- fat
- 38 g
- carbs
- 12 g
- fibre
- 4 g
- protein
- 42 g
- calories
- 560 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Warm the olive oil in a heavy-based pot over medium heat.
- 2
Add the lamb pieces and brown gently on all sides until lightly coloured.
- 3
Scatter the sliced onions and bruised garlic into the pot around the meat.
- 4
Fry for five minutes until the onions soften and turn translucent.
- 5
Pour in the crushed plum tomatoes, rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, and fennel seeds.
- 6
Season with the sea salt and pour in the warm water.
- 7
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low.
- 8
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for one hour.
- 9
Push the washed chicory greens down into the simmering broth.
- 10
Cover again and cook for thirty minutes until the meat is completely tender.
- 11
Remove from the heat and allow the pot to rest for ten minutes before serving.
Chef's tips
Using bone-in cuts creates a richer, silkier broth as the natural gelatin renders into the sauce. If genuine wild chicory is hard to source, cultivated escarole or curly endive provides a very similar pleasant bitterness.
Ingredient substitutions
- wild chicory → cultivated chicory, escarole, or dandelion greens
- mutton → bone-in lamb shoulder or neck chops
Storage
Keep cooled leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat with a small splash of water until piping hot.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the stew too fast, which tightens the meat fibres and leaves the mutton tough.
- •Trimming away all bone and fat, which strips the traditional dish of its depth.
- •Adding the delicate leafy greens right at the start, turning them to complete mush.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Cutturiddu Lucano?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Basilicata
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
