Kokoretsi

Ingredients

Offal

• 1whole lamb pluck, liver, lungs, heart and sweetbreads
• 1 kglamb intestines
• 500 gcaul fat

Cleaning

• coarse salt
• flour
• juice of 4 lemons
• vinegar

Marinade

• juice of 2 lemons
• 150 mlolive oil
• 3 tbspdried oregano
• 2 tspsalt
• 2 tspblack pepper

To serve

• lemon wedges
• bread
• Easter soup

Directions

1. It is Easter food, cooked outdoors on the spit beside the whole lamb on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday, and the two turn together.
2. Turn the intestines inside out with a stick and rinse them under running water until it runs clear.
3. Clean them with salt, flour, lemon and vinegar in several rounds, exactly as for the Turkish kokoreç, and give it the time it needs.
4. This is two hours of unglamorous work and it decides whether the finished thing is a delicacy or inedible.
5. Cut the liver, lungs, heart and sweetbreads into pieces roughly 4 cm across.
6. Marinate the offal in lemon, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper for at least an hour.
7. Oregano is the Greek signature and it goes on generously here as well as at the end.
8. Thread the pieces onto a long spit, alternating liver with lung and heart so the fattier and leaner pieces are mixed through.
9. Alternate them rather than grouping. Liver dries out and lung stays soft, and interleaving them means each baste the other.
10. Wrap the whole bundle in caul fat.
11. Wind the cleaned intestines around it in a tight overlapping spiral from end to end, tucking the ends in securely.
12. Wind it tightly. The casing shrinks as it cooks and pulls the whole bundle together, but only if there is no slack to begin with.
13. Set it over charcoal, high above the coals, and turn it slowly and continuously.
14. Cook for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, basting occasionally with the leftover marinade.
15. Keep it high and turn it without stopping. Close to the coals the fat flares and the outside blackens while the middle stays raw.
16. It is done when the casing is deep brown, crisp and taut and the inside is cooked right through.
17. Rest it briefly, then cut it across into thick slices so the spiral shows.
18. Slice it rather than chopping it. That is the difference from the Turkish version, which is chopped fine and served in bread.
19. Serve with lemon, bread and the rest of the Easter table.

Technique

• It is eaten as a first course while the whole lamb is still turning, which is why it goes on the fire earlier.
• Kokoreç in Turkey is the same construction, chopped and served in bread as street food rather than sliced at a table.
• Every family claims a different ratio of liver to lung and argues about it.

Substitutions

• Pre-cleaned intestines from a butcher.
• A domestic rotisserie for a smaller bundle.

Variations

• Kokoreç, the Turkish street version.
• Splinantero, the related Greek dish wrapped differently.
• Cooked in the oven, which most city households now do.

History

Roasted beside the whole lamb at Greek Easter; the offal is threaded on a skewer and bound with cleaned intestine.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kokoretsi?

Kokoretsi is a main from Greece: lamb offal wrapped in intestines and turned on a spit. Roasted beside the whole lamb at Greek Easter; the offal is threaded on a skewer and bound with cleaned intestine.

How long does Kokoretsi take to make?

Kokoretsi takes 2 hr of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Kokoretsi?

Yes, within limits. Pre-cleaned intestines from a butcher. A domestic rotisserie for a smaller bundle.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kokoretsi?

It is Easter food, cooked outdoors on the spit beside the whole lamb on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday, and the two turn together.