Rome. Nothing say's "Rome" like lamb at Easter. It is the quintessential Roman season. Abbacchio al Scottadito, which loosely translated means lamb to burn your fingers. Rib chops hot off of a wood fire, here served over fresh spring fava beans with mint. The ingredients are simple, the favas are a pain in the butt, but I'm fussy about the wood for the grill. I use oak charcoal (mesquite is too strong---almost toxic) and I might throw on a wine barrel stave and a few branches of rosemary. Oak is typical of the wood fuel used in my home town on California's Central Coast. A softer flavor than mesquite. And I can use the local olive oils too.

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