The Kokoretsi recipe is a Greek dish made of lamb with roasted intestines wrapped around it and then cooked on a spit. The dish was traditionally cooked in Greece for festivals and today is consumed as part of the country’s culinary roots.
It is often served with souvlaki, grilled meat to which onions are added before cooking over high heat on a skewer. A round version of kokoretsi is offered at tavernas as well as some restaurants in Greece.
Smaller versions of kokoretsi are served in many households and restaurants throughout Greece, such as those in the Greek Islands. The name “kokoretsi” means “spit-roasted” or “roasted on a spit
” There are many variations of the dish, but the most traditional is from Corinthia province. It is prepared with lamb meat, intestines, and some white sauce.
How to make a kokoretsi recipe?
- Preparation Time: 40 min
- Cooking Time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Serving Size: 4
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 2 kg of lamb meat
- 250 g of intestines
- 2 kg of tomatoes (quartered, then peeled)
- 2 large onions (quartered)
- 2 spoonfuls of white vinegar or wine vinegar + 30 ml water) )* optional
- 8 spoonfuls of olive oil are better if you use 16 spoonfuls.
- 2 spoonfuls of salt
- 3 cloves or 1 medium size garlic (chopped)
- 2 spoonfuls of dried mint + 9 spoonfuls of oregano (chopped)
Directions for kokoretsi recipe
Step 1: The first step is removing the intestines from the lamb meat. Then, put the meat and the intestines in a bowl and sprinkle about 3 spoonfuls of salt. Leave for about 30 minutes, which drains it completely.
Step 2: After 30 minutes, cover the meat and intestines with water and let it soak for about 1 hour.
Step 3: After this step, fry the soaked meat together with the onion pieces in oil. After that, add the red wine vinegar (the amount of vinegar will depend on your taste) and let it cook until it has reduced to half. Finally, add the meat mixture to a large dish and chopped mint and oregano (or parsley).
Step 4: Remove the intestines from the water, then cover them with oil and fry them (for about 1 minute); add salt, vinegar, and onion pieces. Don’t forget to stir the intestines constantly.
Step 5: Add the intestines to the meat in the big dish, mix everything and let it roast for about 20 minutes on a low fire. If you see it’s getting burnt, add some water. You serve it.
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 90 kcal |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Saturated fat | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 36 mg |
| Sodium | 310 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 8 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
7 Amazing Serving Ideas for kokoretsi recipe
- You can serve it with rice and beans or bread.
- If you want to make it more healthily and lose the extra fat, bake the kokoretsi and serve it with some fresh vegetables.
- You can serve it with bread toasted on a pan (in this case, you will add the onions before frying them) without the tomato sauce and red wine vinegar, but adding some salt.
- If you want to make it as a dish to be served at your wedding, prepare kokoretsi according to the directions above but add some parsley on top.
- You can serve it with fries (without tomato sauce) or potato chips with vinegar. Just add some olive oil and let it cook before serving.
- You can bake it with some fresh vegetables or potatoes. Just add the tomato sauce (without vinegar) before stuffing it into the oven. You can bake it in a dish or on a skewer.
- You can prepare “kleftiko” by baking the kokoretsi in an oven with potatoes, carrots, eggplants, and green beans (all sliced). After you stuff it in the range, sprinkle some olive oil and oregano or parsley on top.
Final Thoughts
Greek cuisine is well-known for being a very healthy one. Today, people want to know about Greek dishes and how they should be cooked. Many home chefs learn how to cook these dishes because of their simplicity and taste.
The flavor, taste, and health benefits that they have. Besides, some famous Greek dishes are always on top of the list in hotels and restaurants, which could make you try them or other people do so.
