Kokoretsi and Magiritsa

Kokoretsi is a traditional Greek dish consisting mainly of seasoned lamb or goat offals.  To make kokoretsi the most difficult part of the process is to wash the bowels (intestines) of the lamb.

The bowels 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.

Kokoretsi

Ingredients:

• The guts of two lambs including spleen, heart, lungs, sweetbreads etc.
• 2 caul fats
• 2 kilos of lamb bowels (intestines)
• Oregano
• Salt and
• Pepper

Directions

The guts are washed and cut into small pieces, about 6 cm. After draining them we add salt, pepper and oregano and begin skewering them putting one of each kind, a piece of liver, heart, kidney, lungs etc. In between two or three pieces, a piece of caul fat is added.

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 and then 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. You shouldn’t start close to the fire so that it cooks well inside and when it’s half cooked you can bring it closer to the fire. You baste it often with ladolemono, which is a mixture of olive oil, lemon and oregano.

I am submitting this recipe to Hank of Hunter Angler Garderner Cook, for his event Meat and Greet No. 1, having as its theme Lets have an offal time.

Magiritsa

This traditional Easter soup is the first thing we eat after the midnight mass on Saturday evening and after fasting for about fifty (and not forty as many think) days.

This is the time when we also crack our Easter eggs and say Christos Anesti (Christ has risen from the dead). We dye them red symbolizing his blood and we crack them to remember the cracking of the stones when the earth opened and stones cracked during His resurrection.

In some parts of Greece they make magiritsa either by adding tomato or by adding rice. In our family we use neither rice nor tomato, although in Sparta where we go for Easter they do use tomato in the sauce.

Mageritsa (Easter Soup)

Directions

We have the liver washed when preparing for kokoretsi as well as the bowels. We also have the lettuce and the fresh herbs washed and finely cut.

Cut lettuce in big pieces and boil for five minutes and then strain them.

Boil the liver, lungs, sweetbreads for ten minutes and after straining cut them in very small pieces (not bigger than 2 cm).

In a saucepan sauté the onions until transculent and add the liver and bowels and sauté as well. Add the lettuce and the herbs, salt, pepper and water to cover and simmer for about 30 – 40 minutes. Remove from heat and prepare egg and lemon sauce (called avgolemono).

Avgolemono sauce

Beat the eggs, add the lemon juice and add some broth from the pan whisking continuously.   Add avgolemono sauce to the pan and stir.

Other relevant recipes:

Ovelias – Lamb on the spit

Sheftalia

Tags: Easter, goat, Kokoretsi, Lamb, Liver, Magiritsa, Offals, Traditional