Lamb coratella with onions

The lamb coratella or corata is the term used to indicate the entrails of the animal, usually small, such as lamb, rabbit or chicken. Corata is an ancient traditional dish of poor cuisine, son of central Italy and specifically of Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio and Marche. The preparation of this particular recipe changes from region to region, in fact it can be fried, stewed, with potatoes, with artichokes as required by Roman cuisine or with onions as Umbrian cuisine wants. If you love strong flavors, and if you normally like to eat liver, then you will love this dish.

The corata consists of parts more tenacious to cooking, such as lungs and heart, and more tender parts, such as liver, kidneys and spleen. For this reason, after having thoroughly washed the corata, and having cut it into small cubes, it is necessary to divide the cooking into two parts: first lungs and heart, after a few minutes the rest is added. An important tip is to soak the coratella in water, vinegar and bay leaves for two hours before cooking.

Today I explain this humble but tasty dish, as it has always been cooked in my house, or with onions, handed down by my father. Although I am Roman, and I love the coratella with artichokes, my heart and my palate are equally linked to this fabulous version. Also toast slices of bread to eat together, and if you like plenty of chili, the coratella, in any way you decide to cook it, very spicy has no equal!

Ingredients 

1 kg Full Corata

2 onions (medium)

120 ml Extra virgin olive oil

1 glass Dry white wine

Fine salt

Black pepper

Chili pepper

water and vinegar (to soak the corata before cooking)

2 bay leaves 

Preparation

Clean the entrails from excess fat and rinse them under running water, then soak them for two hours in a bowl with cold water, half a glass of white vinegar and two bay leaves, it will serve to clean them well and remove the smell a little strong. After the time, rinse them again and cut them into small cubes with a well-sharpened smooth blade knife, or with scissors. The smaller the cubes, the faster the coratella will cook while remaining soft. Take care to separate the most tenacious parts such as lungs and heart, from the most tender parts such as liver, spleen and kidneys, placing them in two different bowls. Take a large pan, pour a generous round of extra virgin olive oil, and add the onion cut into slices, then let the onion dry over low heat and with the lid. The onion must remain soft and not brown, I recommend! As soon as the onion is soft, add the heart and mix, after a few minutes also add the lungs always mixing to flavor, let cook 6-7 minutes, and finally add the most tender parts left (liver, kidneys and spleen). Mix everything carefully, season with salt and pepper, and when all the coratella has taken color, blend with white wine, letting it evaporate over medium-low heat until you no longer smell it. Continue cooking for about 15 minutes with the lid a little away and the heat always moderate. Halfway through cooking, add the chili, stir and finish cooking for another 15-20 minutes. The coratella must cook slowly in all for about 35-40 minutes, it also depends on how small you have cut the various parts. Do not prolong the cooking excessively, otherwise you risk making it harden, maybe after the first 25-30 minutes taste, in the kitchen you always taste! If during cooking it should dry a little too much, add half a glass of water, stir and continue, the coratella must not be dry, so always watch out for the flame, which is sweet. Meanwhile, toast a few slices of bread to accompany this tasty lamb coratella with onions and its tasty cooking sauce. 

Tip

The cooked coratella keeps for 2-3 days in the refrigerator inside a food container. Do not freeze the raw coratella at all.