Spring in Sicily is a celebration of renewal. In cultural and religious terms it is expressed through Easter, when Primavera (spring) and Pasqua (Easter) become almost synonymous—a joyful coming together of nature, family, tradition and food.
In Australia, spring arrives just as Sicily is entering autumn. Yet goat is available here throughout much of the year, allowing me to cook dishes that Sicilians would traditionally prepare only in springtime.
When I was a child living in Trieste, Easter in Sicily was more important that Christmas and although my family always spent time in Sicily in Summer, we would always try to visit Sicilian relatives
Across Sicily, Easter Sunday lunch often centres on young lamb or kid (capretto). Every family has its favourite preparation—roasted, braised or baked—and, as is so often the case in Italy, the “best” version is usually the one your mother cooked.
Easter Traditions from Ragusa
My father’s family comes from Ragusa in south-eastern Sicily, where Easter would not feel complete without ’mpanata ri agnieddu—a large, focaccia-like pie filled with very young lamb, bones included, and enclosed in bread dough. It is a dish that has been handed down through generations. My grandmother made it every Easter, and no doubt her mother before her.
The recipe I am sharing here comes from another part of Sicily altogether—the province of Trapani in the island’s north-west, encompassing Marsala and Mazara del Vallo.
In Australia the meat I buy is likely be considered as goat in Italy.
A Well-Loved Sicilian Recipe
This version of Capretto con le Mandorle (Kid with Almonds) is adapted from La Cucina Tradizionale Siciliana by Anna Pomar, first published in 1984.
The book has special meaning for me. It was a gift from my cousin Rosetta during one of my many visits to Ragusa. It was her own well-used copy, filled with handwritten notes and alterations in the margins—much like the treasured cookbooks I inherited from my mother. Those annotations remind me that recipes are living things, evolving as they pass from one kitchen to another.
I love the texture that the almonds provide in the thickening of this dish.
Making the Recipe My Own
The original recipe uses kid, but the meat available to me in Australia is usually sold as goat. In Italy, it would probably be considered a more mature animal and therefore benefits from a much longer cooking time.
As with many traditional recipes, I have adapted it to suit my own taste. I use extra onions, bay leaves, homemade stock instead of water, and dry Marsala rather than simply relying on the tomatoes for flavour.
Does that make it a different recipe? I don’t think so. It simply reflects what generations of home cooks have always done—respect tradition while quietly making it their own.
One element I would never change is the almonds. Ground almonds enrich the sauce, giving it a beautiful silky texture and a delicate sweetness that balances the richness of the meat. It is this combination that makes the dish unmistakably Sicilian.
Ingredients
- 3 kg kid or goat, cut into serving pieces with some bone attached
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 3–4 bay leaves
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup dry Marsala (Marsala Fine) or dry white wine
- 3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or equivalent canned tomatoes)
- 300 g blanched almonds, finely ground
- About 3 cups good stock or broth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Trim any excess fat from the meat and pat it dry.
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole. Add the meat and onions, browning them lightly.
- Pour in the Marsala and allow it to reduce slightly, scraping up any caramelised bits from the base of the pan.
- Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, stock, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook gently until the meat is very tender. Anna Pomar suggests about 45 minutes for young kid, but Australian goat usually requires 1½–2 hours, or until the meat comes away easily from the bone. *If you are cooking goat, cook it for longer.
- Stir in the ground almonds and cook gently for another few minutes until the sauce thickens. If it becomes too thick, loosen it with a little extra stock.
Serve hot, although many Sicilians would happily enjoy this dish only slightly warm—a reminder that in Sicily good food is savoured rather than rushed.
‘MPANATA (A lamb pie, Easter treat)
RICETTE per capretto (e capra); Recipes for slow cooked kid and goat