When guests visit Palazzo Margherita, Francis Ford Coppola’s luxury hotel in Bernalda, Italy, they expect a Godfather-like experience. “A lot of people want to have a vision of the Godfather in the house of the Godfather,” says Rossella De Filippo, the general manager. Coppola indulges visitors with hints of his favorite things, including a thoughtfully curated collection of some 200 films for their viewing pleasure. While Italian classics like Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and his Brothers and Vittorio De Sica’s The Gold of Naples made the cut, the Oscar-winning director purposely left off his cinematic gems until De Filippo persuaded him to include them. Not surprisingly, The Godfather is requested most often.
Coppola is less reluctant about adding his family’s favorite meals to the hotel menu. Tiella d’ Agnello, lamb baked in a pot, is a dish he’s enjoyed since childhood. The recipe is from his grandfather, a Bernalda native who immigrated to the U.S. in 1904. A tradition of Southern Italy, this version is made with lampascioni, the bulb of a tassel hyacinth, a common wildflower of the region. Baked in an earthenware container and covered with seasoned pizza dough, it’s a meal-offering even Vito Corleone couldn’t refuse.
Baked Lamb Ribs (Tiella d’Agnello)
Serves 4
Ingredients
12 pieces lamb ribs
28 ounces (about 1¾ pounds) potatoes
12 pieces lampascioni (hyacinth bulbs)
8-10 pieces cherry tomatoes
2 white onions
1½ garlic cloves
5-6 spoons of olive oil
4 spoons of white wine
6-7 spoons of water
oregano
parsley
salt and pepper
7 ounces (1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
Method
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Peel and cut the potatoes, wash the lampascioni, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and slice the onions. Mix the ingredients in a bowl with garlic, white wine, olive oil, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Place the ribs in a baking dish, add salt and pepper, and cover with the potato mixture, add the water, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan and bake at 325°F for about 1½ hours.
(Note: It is recommended to cook the lamb in a covered baking dish for 1 hour and 15 minutes and then without a cover for the last 15 minutes.)
If it is too dry, add more water.
Serve in a clay or copper pot. If desired, cover the pot with pizza dough seasoned with olive oil and oregano, and bake for a few minutes in the oven.