Lamb kokkinisto (in red sauce)

If you saw my stories on Wednesday you’ll know that this lamb kokkinisto pasta has been a journey 🤣 With the best of intentions, feeling like I was really on top of things, I started cooking this at 11am on Wednesday, intending it to be dinner. But then work got crazy, I was behind my laptop for hours, and my husband ended up ordering Thai! Just as well, because dinner was a cinch tonight!

Happy weekend to all and thanks for your sweet feedback on my stories showing how to make this yummy, comforting dish!

Lamb kokkinisto (in red sauce)

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, grated
1 lb lamb necks
2 cups puréed tomatoes (fresh or jarred)
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste
4-6 allspice berries
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook till softened, 3-5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook at a very gentle simmer for 2-3 hours, until meat is falling off the bone. Towards the end of cooking, uncover and increase heat slightly to reduce sauce if needed.

To serve: Pull meat off the bone and add back to the sauce. Serve over pasta of your choice, with or without grated cheese (kefalotyri, mizithra, pecorino all work well).

Or, cook the pasta right in the pan with the sauce. Once you’ve added the meat back to the sauce and discarded the bones, increase heat to medium high to bring to a boil. Add hot water from the kettle (3 cups) and once boiling, add 12 oz pasta (any short pasta shape) and additional salt (1/2 tsp or to taste). Stir well and let cook at a gentle boil, stirring frequently, especially towards the end of cooking. Add more hot water from the kettle only if mixture becomes too dry.

Tips:
You can use other cuts of lamb, but try to choose bone-in. The bone adds flavor, body, and nutrition! Lamb necks are super inexpensive and make a great choice here.
This serves about 4, but keep in mind in this version of lamb kokkinisto we aren’t serving full 6-8 oz portions of meat; a little goes a long way.