Lamb "coratella"

Spring brings lot of fruits to our tables, and lot of amazing dishes are bang in season. During Easter on Sardinian tables lamb is the king. And the perks that come with the lamb are the innards, the so called "quinto quarto" (fifth quarter): liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, sweetbreads. To me, beside the fact that offals are delicious, it just seems fair to use the whole animal when it gets butchered. I share the same philosophy of my friends Michaela and Paul of TRMS.cz: in their butchery they use the whole animal, which comes from selected farmers and lived happily in a free range farm, treated with respect and fairness.

Offals got to be very fresh and the key to a successful preparation consists in taking the right time to work each part of the innards in the right manner. 

There are many recipes in Italy (very popular is the "coratella with artichokes" roman style).

I like the coratella to have lot of richness to it and a spicy hint in the end.

Ingredients:

1,5 kg lamb’s offals

a medium red onion

one spring onion

a clove of garlic

 15 gr capers

15 gr sun dried tomatoes

 10 gr olives taggiasche

chilly pepper

fresh mint

fresh oregano

fresh thyme

bay leaves

extra virgin olive oil

4/5 tablespoonfuls of white vinegar

4/5 tablespoonfuls of milk

2 tablespoonfuls of EV olive oil

 2/3 glasses of red wine cannonau

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a large bowl place the offals with water, bay leaves and vinegar for about 20 minutes. Take the offal (separating the liver which you are only using at the very end) and chop it finely (pieces no bigger than 1/2cm). Discard any overly stringy bits, but don’t remove too much fat – it gives the dish flavor.

2. Lightly brown the finely chopped onion in the oil in a non-stick pan until soft, along with the pinch of chilli.

3. Add the coratella pieces to the pan, on a low flame, and brown slightly.

4. When the meat is lightly browned, add the olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, bay leaves and herbs, two tablespoons of vinegar and season well with salt and pepper.

5. Leave to simmer for around an hour, on a low flame and with the pan lid on. Add the liver about 5 min before finishing it. The most important thing about this recipe is not to let the Coratella dry out – so you can add a little extra water or oil if necessary, but keep the pan lid on so the offal stays nice and juicy.

6. Taste the Coratella and if you think it is cooked, remove the lid of the pan and add the wine. Continue to simmer until all the wine has evaporated.

In Italy, Coratella prepared in this way is often eaten as part of the antipasti course of a meal, but is also served as a main course, where it is very good with small roast potatoes and green vegetables like spinach or chard.