In Sicily, Agglassato (also spelled Aggrassato, Agrassato or Aglassato) refers to a traditional slow-braised meat dish in which generous quantities of onions slowly melt into a rich, satiny sauce that coats the meat with a natural glaze.
The word agglassato suggests something glossy or glazed. It comes from the French glacer—to glaze—and in cooking it describes foods finished with a shiny coating. Cakes are glazed with icing, glacé cherries are preserved in sugar syrup, and cold pâtés or fish are often coated with a clear jelly made from stock to give them a beautiful sheen.
Despite its French origins, the dish is distinctly Sicilian. The word for meat, carne, is feminine, so the glazed meat is called carne aglassata.
Like many Sicilian recipes, Agglassato reflects the island’s layered culinary history. French influence is evident in the name, yet the cooking itself remains deeply Sicilian. Traditionally, the onions are cooked in lard, sometimes combined with extra virgin olive oil, rather than butter, producing a richer and more robust flavour. It is also known as Carne Agrassata (carne meaning meat), a name commonly used in many parts of the island.
The dish appears throughout Sicily with regional variations. Veal, beef, lamb, kid and even ox tongue may be prepared this way. My father liked to cook it with ox tongue and would take over the kitchen on some Sunday mornings.
Some cooks use less onion, others add potatoes, and in south-eastern Sicily grated pecorino is often stirred through just before serving. The meat may be cooked whole and tied with string or cut into generous stew-sized pieces.
The Secret Is the Onion
The defining ingredient is not the meat but the remarkable quantity of onions.
As they cook slowly over gentle heat, the onions soften completely and gradually dissolve into a thick, velvety purée. The sauce reduces naturally, coating every piece of meat. If served cold, the onion-rich sauce sets into a delicate jelly that lightly glazes the meat—perhaps the most convincing explanation for the dish’s evocative name.
One of the pleasures of Agglassato is that the sauce is as valuable as the meat itself.
In many Sicilian homes, part of the onion sauce is removed before serving the meat and tossed through pasta as a first course. The braised meat then follows as the secondo, accompanied by seasonal vegetables.
Although this particular dish may have been influenced by French cuisine, lard rather than butter is used – lard being more common in Sicilian cuisine.
Agglassato seems to be a method of cooking meat which is fairly wide spread across Sicily with a few variations. Some use less onions, others add potatoes and in some parts of Sicily, especially in the South-eastern region grated pecorino cheese is added at the end of cooking. Sometimes the meat is cooked in one piece and held together with string, at other times it is cubed as in a stew.
The sauce (without potatoes) can also be used to dress pasta – remove some of the onion sauce for the first course (pasta) then present the meat for the second course with contorni (side vegetable dishes).
Simple recipe
The classic proportions are wonderfully straightforward:
The ratio is:
1 kg meat to 1 kg onions
200 g lard or a mixture of lard and extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper
½ -1 glass of white wine
rosemary or sage or bay leaves, or a mixture of all
meat stock (optional)
In a pan suitable for making a stew heat the lard, add the sliced onions, and herbs. Soften the onions on low heat and then add the meat (cubed or in one piece).
Toss the meat around until it is white on the surface (unlike other stews do not brown).
Add the wine, cover and cook it over low heat for about 70 minutes per kilo of meat, less if the meat is in small pieces. Remove the lid about 15-20 minutes if the contents look too watery and allow the sauce to thicken.
The Easter Version
In south-eastern Sicily, Agglassato is closely associated with Easter, when young kid or lamb is plentiful.
This version usually includes potatoes, whole garlic cloves, plenty of chopped parsley and, just before serving, a generous scattering of grated pecorino. The potatoes absorb the rich onion sauce, becoming almost as prized as the meat itself.
Because the age of the animal affects tenderness, cooking times vary. Young Sicilian lamb and kid generally require less cooking than older animals found elsewhere.
If you are cooking kid or lamb (this is a common recipe for Easter especially in the south east of Sicily), the following ratio of ingredients is a useful guide.
2 kg kid, or lamb on the bone, cut into stew-size pieces
800g-1kg potatoes
500g onions
100g lard or a mixture of lard and extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper
4 cloves of garlic (whole)
1 glass of white wine
rosemary or sage or bay leaves
1 cup of parsley cut finely
meat stock (optional)
100 g grated pecorino cheese
In a pan suitable for making a stew heat the lard, add the sliced onions, garlic and herbs (but not the parsley).
Soften the onions and then add the meat.
Toss the meat around until it is white on the surface. Add the wine, cover and cook it over low heat for about 50-60 minutes. Check for moisture and add splashes of stock or water if the stew looks too dry. In Sicily kid and lamb are slaughtered as young animals and depending on the age and tenderness of your meat you may need to cook it for longer.
Peel and cut the potatoes into small chunks and add them to the stew. Add parsley and stock or water to almost cover the potatoes and cook until they are done (probably 30 minutes).
At the end of cooking sprinkle with grated pecorino.
A Family Favourite
This dish always reminds me of my father.
He most often prepared lingua agglassata—ox tongue slowly braised in onions until beautifully tender—but from time to time he used the same method for beef or veal. The aroma of onions gently cooking for hours is one of those unforgettable kitchen memories that remains long after the meal has finished.
The photograph below shows the whole tongue after cooking. Before serving, it is lifted from the onion sauce, peeled if necessary and sliced, then returned to the rich glaze or served alongside it.
If you would like to see that family recipe, you can also read:
In a previous post I have written about how my father used to cook tongue (lingua) in this way. Now and again he would also cook meat instead of tongue
See Recipe: Carne Aglassata- Glazed tongue in onion sauce
Below is a photo of the whole tongue (lingua) – this is removed from the sauce and sliced before being served.
Because I have mentioned my father, and onions, I am reminded of how he used “sweeten onions” to add to a tomato salad. this too is worth doing.
PUMARORU CA CIPUDDA (Tomatoes with onions). INSALATA DI POMODORO (Tomato salad)