Kokoretsi
Kokoretsi is a traditional Greek dish made mainly, but not only, during Easter, consisting mainly of seasoned pieces of lamb or goat offal (sweetbread, hearts, lungs, or kidneys), skewered on a spit and wrapped with lamb or goat caul fat and intestines and grilled together with the lamb.
To make kokoretsi the most difficult part of the process is to wash the bowels (intestines) of the lamb.
This is a time consuming procedure which is advisable to be made a day before roasting it.
The bowels, which are from a small lamb, should be washed thoroughly inside-out. They are then washed and put in a bowl of water with either vinegar or lemon juice, they are washed again and turned around and washed for a second time.
To wash the intestines inside, take a knitting needle, put one end, after folding the tip and push it through, until this end comes out from the other side. After washing them well with vinegar or lemon juice, wash them again with plenty of water and turn them over again.
When turning them over, surely some of them break. Use these smaller pieces to make magiritsa.
Kokoretsi
Kokoretsi is a traditional Greek dish made mainly, but not only, during Easter, consisting mainly of seasoned pieces of lamb or goat offal (sweetbread, hearts, lungs, or kidneys), skewered on a spit and wrapped with lamb or goat caul fat and intestines and grilled together with the lamb.
Ingredients
- The guts of two lambs including spleen, heart, lungs, sweetbreads etc.
- 2 caul fats
- 2 kilos of lamb bowels (intestines)
- Oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Wash the intestines.
- The entrails are also washed and cut into small pieces, about 6 cm.
- After draining the offal, season with salt, pepper and oregano and begin skewering them, alternating with one piece of liver, heart, kidney, lungs and continue until all are skewered. In between two or three pieces, add a piece of caul fat.
- When finished, wrap it in caul fat and pin one end of the first bowel in the one side of the spit and lengthwise to the other side. You do this backwards and forward several times until the offal are covered with the intestine.
- At the end wind the intestine around the skewer. If the bowel reaches its end tie it with the end of the next bowel and continue to wind until all bowels are wrapped and no guts are visible.
- Kokoretsi is then ready to roast over charcoal together with the Lamb on the spit.
- You shouldn't start close to the fire but on the upper position, so that it cooks well inside.
- When it's half cooked you can bring it closer to the fire.
- Baste it often with ladolemono, which is the same mixture of Ladolemono (olive oil, lemon and oregano) prepared for the lamb.
Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 325Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 120mgSodium 110mgCarbohydrates 0gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 28g
Other relevant recipes:
Kalo Pascha (Happy Easter)
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,
Hey Ivy,
I read your blog and like it a lot. And I am SO glad you did kokoretsi! I am fascinated by this sausage, and have never seen a good recipe before yours.
Oh, and Happy Easter!
Cheers,
Hank Shaw
Hey, Ivy, I was totally fascinated by kokoretsi (I even made up a little song about it) until I actually had it. I found it rather tough and not very flavorful. Is that just how it is, or do you think I had a not-very-good example of it? Do you know how to keep it from being so tough?
And echoing Hank's sentiments, Kalo pasxa!
wow, Ivy something very new to me- a great entry for the event!
Hi Ivy, your lamb on a spit looks impressive. I am a little queasy about most offal though, having not tried it.
I love correctly-made kokoretsi, and is one of the things I most miss about not being in Greece for Easter. Χριστός ΑνÎστη!
Lulu, I think the secret for not being tough is to wrap it in caul fat before wrapping it with the bowels.
Thanks everyone for dropping by and your lovely comments as always.
Ivy
Happy Easter Ivy! YOu've been working hard!!! It's shocking for me to see how you prepare the kokoretsi yourself! I see that you also use all these innner parts of the animals 😀
Nuria, do you remember when I commented on one of your recipes. I told you wait and see what I have to post about. But be sure it's very tasty so long as it is homemade and washed a thousand times.