Non-VegetarianAbruzzese cuisine Main Course

Coratella d'Agnello Abruzzese

Name: Coratella d'Agnello Abruzzese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Abruzzese
Ingredients: 800 g lamb coratella (pluck); 300 g white onions; 45 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 120 ml Dry white wine; 1 sprig Fresh rosemary; 2 leaves fresh bay leaves; 0.5 tsp dried chilli pepper; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 0.5 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

A rustic skillet dish of fresh lamb offal cooked with sweet onions, white wine, and mountain herbs. Known in local dialect as la curataja, it is a staple of spring shepherd cooking.

🇮🇹Italy· Abruzzo

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 310 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

800 g lamb coratella (pluck) — fresh mixed lamb heart, lungs, and liver, trimmed
300 g white onions — thinly sliced
45 ml Extra virgin olive oil — robust regional oil preferred
120 ml Dry white wine — such as Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
1 sprig Fresh rosemary — whole
2 leaves fresh bay leaves — whole
½ tsp dried chilli pepper — crushed peperoncino
1 tsp Fine sea salt — to taste
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper — coarsely ground

Equipment

•Chef's knife
•Chopping board
•Heavy-bottomed skillet or earthenware pan
•Wooden spoon

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 310 kcal
fat: 14 g
carbs: 8 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 34 g
calories: 310 kcal

Instructions

1
Rinse the offal in cold water, pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper, and separate each organ.
2
Cut the lung and windpipe into 2 cm pieces, slice the heart into strips, and dice the liver separately.
3
Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium-low heat.
4
Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and translucent.
5
Raise the heat to medium-high, then add the diced lungs, heart, bay leaves, and rosemary sprig.
6
Brown the meat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently until the liquid released has completely evaporated.
7
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble rapidly for 3 minutes until the alcohol smell dissipates.
8
Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 12 minutes until the lungs are tender.
9
Stir in the diced liver, crushed chilli, remaining salt, and black pepper.
10
Cook uncovered for 4 minutes over medium heat until the liver is browned outside and tender within.
11
Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprig, then serve piping hot immediately.

Chef's tips

Always keep the liver separate from the lungs and heart during preparation. The lungs and heart require longer cooking to become tender, whereas liver turns tough and grainy if cooked for more than a few minutes. Buy the offal on the day of cooking from a trusted butcher for absolute freshness.

Ingredient substitutions

lamb coratella (pluck) → young kid goat offal, which has a similarly delicate flavour and identical cooking times
Trebbiano d'Abruzzo → any crisp, dry, un-oaked Italian white wine

Storage

Cool rapidly and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Reheating

Reheat gently in a covered skillet over low heat with a splash of water or wine until steaming.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Adding the liver at the beginning with the other offal, which overcooks it completely.
•Failing to brown off the moisture from the lungs before adding the wine, which results in boiled meat.
•Slicing the offal unevenly, leading to inconsistent textures in the finished dish.

Serving suggestions

Serve hot straight from the pan with thick slices of rustic sourdough bread to mop up the juices.Pair with a glass of dry Trebbiano d'Abruzzo or a light, chilled Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo.