click on the title to jump to the recipe — return to the recipe index CLASSIC RAGU SAUCE BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH WINTER VEGETABLES OSSO BUCCO PIZZAOILA LAMB WITH MOROCCAN RAS EL HANOUT LUCIA’S OWN MEATBALLS IN NAPOLETANA SAUCE LUCIA’S ALLA PANNA OVEN ROASTED FIGS WRAPPED IN BACON OR PANCETTA WITH GORGONZOLA SAUCE
	CLASSIC RAGU SAUCE Serves 6 — Lucia Rosella ingredients ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 750g American style pork ribs, or veal on the bone, or chicken on the bone Salt and pepper to taste 4 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped 500g Peeled Romas, chopped 5 largish leaves of basil, washed and roughly chopped 725g Lucia’s Own Passata 400ml water 500g of your favourite pasta, fresh or frozen Grated Cheese method Select a large heavy based saucepan, add the olive oil and place it on high heat. Brown the meat, season with salt and pepper then remove from the pot. In the same oil, sweat chopped garlic until tender. Stir the Peeled Romas and basil through the oil and cook for five minutes. Add Passata and 400ml water and bring to boil. Then add the meat, cover and simmer gently for 1-½ hours, stirring occasionally and add salt to taste. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil, add pasta. Whilst pasta is cooking, remove the meat from the sauce, place into a serving dish and set aside. When pasta is cooked, drain and then serve into pasta bowls. And top with sauce. Traditionally we have the pasta first then the meat with a green salad, or you can place the meat on the table and serve with the pasta. available from Lucia’s Fine Foods Lucia’s Own Passata Sauce
	BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH WINTER VEGETABLES Serves 4 ingredients 150g pearl haricot beans well covered with water and soaked overnight 4 lamb shanks 3 - 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 5g salt lots of freshly ground black pepper 300g shallots peeled and left whole 300g carrot peeled and diced 300g parsnips peeled, cored and sliced 300g swedes peeled and diced 100g celery sliced ½ bunch thyme tied up with kitchen string 2 bay leaves 250ml red or white wine water 500g tiny new potatoes handful of herbs such as parsley and oregano stalked and chopped equipment wide shallow casserole with tight fitting lid method Put a small amount of oil into the pan and place it on high heat. Add the shanks and seasoning and brown on all sides. Remove them from the pan and set to one side. Turn the heat down to low, add a little more oil and the vegetables and cook stirring frequently until they are caramelised. Return the shanks to the pan and add the wine. Add the thyme and bay leaves and stir over. Cover with cold water and very slowly bring to a simmer. Turn down to the lowest possible heat, cover with the lid and cook for one hour, stir over and cook for another hour. Rinse off the haricot beans and add them and the potatoes to the pot, stir through, cover again and continue to cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook gently, stirring from time to time for another 30 minutes or until the beans and potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Find the string and remove it and the thyme stalks. Serve generously the lamb shanks generously garnished with the fresh chopped herbs. This dish is equally delicious made with sliced veal shanks (Osso Bucco) and can be served with lashings of Gremolata (equal quantities of chopped lemon zest and flat leaf parsley and half the weight finely chopped garlic).
	OSSO BUCCO PIZZAOILA Serves 4 — Lucia Rosella ingredients 1.5kg thick slices of veal shank Lucia’s Own EV olive oil half teaspoon salt black pepper, freshly ground 375g Lucia’s Own peeled Romas, half juice 500g Lucia’s Own Napolitana sauce 300g onions, peeled and sliced 300g carrots, peeled and large dice 200g celery, diced 3-4 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped 4 pinches of dried oregano method Pre heat oven to 160°C Brush the oven tray with oil, place the meat in single layer Put a splash of oil on the osso bucco roll through the oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay the osso bucco in a single layer in a baking dish. Tip the peeled Romas and half their liquid into a bowl and crush to thick sauce consistency with a potato masher then stir through the tomato sauce. Add the remaining ingredients, stir through and taste for seasoning. Adjust if required. Finish by spooning the sauce and vegetable evenly over the top of the meat. Contact cover with a sheet of baking paper, then tightly with foil and cook 2 3 hours until the meat is very soft and falling from the bone. At Lucia’s we serve it with rice and roasted pumpkin, but you might like to try some white polenta or grilled yellow polenta topped with some grated Peccorino. Gremolata is also a traditional accompaniment finely chop ½ bunch of leafed parsley with the rind of two lemons, four cloves of garlic, sea salt and freshly and coarsely ground black pepper. available from Lucia’s Fine Foods Lucia’s Own EV Olive Oil, Lucia’s Own peeled Romas, Lucia’s Own Napolitana sauce
	LAMB WITH MOROCCAN RAS EL HANOURT Serves 4 — Nicci Bugeja ingredients 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 onion, chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped 4 tablespoons olive oil 8 lamb chump chops 2 tablespoons Ras el Hanout Spice quarter Pumpkin, seeded, peeled and chopped into large chunks 250g Puy Lentils 750ml Chicken Stock 500g Lucia’s Own Napolitana Sauce Natural yoghurt to serve method In a large heavy based saucepan fry garlic, onion, carrot and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the lamb chops and brown slightly with the ras el hanout. Then you basically put the rest of the ingredients into the pot, lentils, pumpkin, chicken stock and sauce. Give it a good stir, place lid on top and cook on stovetop on a medium heat. After half an hour, give it a good stir, squash the pumpkin, reduce the heat, remove the lid and continue cooking for another half an hour. Divide the lamb and lentils in a bowl, and serve immediately with a generous dollop of natural yoghurt. available from Lucia’s Fine Foods Ras el Hanout Spice, Lucia’s Own Napolitana Sauce
	LUCIA’S OWN MEATBALLS IN NAPOLETANA SAUCE Serves 6 — Lucia Rosella ingredients 750g of Pork and Veal mince 4 cloves garlic, diced and set half aside for the meatballs 2 eggs ¾ cup bread breadcrumbs ½ cup grated cheese Handful chopped parsley 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup Lucia’s Own Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2x 725g Jar of Lucia’s Own Napoletana Sauce ½ jar water ½ teaspoon Lucia’s Own Chilli Sambal (optional) method This recipe makes approximately 20 walnut size balls, although larger size meatballs are the way nanna used to make them! In a large mixing bowl add mince, garlic, eggs, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, parsley, and salt. With your hands mix well until all ingredients are combined. Handy tip damp hands make rolling meatballs much easier. The size and shape of meatballs is up to you. In a heavy based saucepan, sauté the garlic and chilli in olive oil. Add sauce and water, bring to the boil. Gently place meatballs into the sauce, return to boil. Do not stir the meatballs until the sauce has returned to the boil. Cook at a gentle simmer for 1-½ hours. We suggest serving meatballs with a spaghetti or linguini. available from Lucia’s Fine Foods Lucia’s Own Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lucia’s Own Napoletana Sauce, Lucia’s Own Chilli Sambal
	LUCIA’S ALLA PANNA Serves 6 — Lucia Rosella ingredients 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 5 rashers of bacon, (remove the rind) and cut into thin strips 250g fresh mushrooms, chopped 500ml-thickened cream 3 tablespoons Lucia’s Own Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500g of fresh Tagliatelle 1 handful parsley, chopped 1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese method Fry the garlic and bacon in a little olive oil until lightly golden. Add the mushrooms, continue to fry, cooking away any moisture from the mushrooms. Cook the fettuccine in salted boiling water for about 7 minutes. Just as the pasta is ready, add the cream to the mushrooms and bring to the boil, reduce slightly. Toss the drained pasta into the cream sauce and serve sprinkled with lots of parsley and some grated Parmesan. You can use any variety of mushrooms for this recipe, we suggest mixing some Swiss Browns with some dried Porcini Mushrooms. available from Lucia’s Fine Foods Lucia’s Own Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh Tagliatelle, grated Parmesan cheese
	OVEN ROASTED FIGS WRAPPED IN BACON OR PANCETTA WITH GORGONZOLA SAUCE Serves 6 — Ann Oliver ingredients 12 ripe but firmish figs peeled 150g Gorgonzola chilled and divided into 24 12 full back very thinly sliced rashers of bacon or 24 slices of fatty pancetta 25g melted unsalted butter 300ml cream freshly ground black pepper 2 teaspoons good balsamic method Push your thumb into the bottom of each fig and push a piece of cheese into the centre of the figs. Wrap each fig with the bacon/pancetta. Crumble the remaining cheese and leave it out of the fridge. Everything to this point can be prepared in advance. Pre heat grill Select a stovetop to oven pan large enough to hold all of the figs. Brush the bottom of the pan with the butter and put the figs into the pan and put them under the grill. Cook them until the bacon/pancetta is crisped and the fat rendered, then quickly transfer them to a holding plate and keep them warm. Add the cream and cheese to the pan and bring to a rapid boil, add lots of pepper and the balsamic. Place two figs on each plate, spoon the sauce around the figs and serve immediately with crusty bread for mopping up the sauce. available from Lucia’s Fine Foods Gorgonzola cheese, unsalted butter, cream, balsamic vinegar

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