/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Magiritsa (Greek: μαγειρίτσα) is a Greek soup made from lamb offal, associated with the Easter (Pascha) tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church. Magiritsa is eaten to break the fast of the Greek Orthodox Great Lent, the 40 days before Easter. Its role and ingredients result from its association with the roasted lamb traditionally served at the Paschal meal; in its traditional form, magiritsa consists of the offal removed from the lamb before roasting, flavored with seasonings and sauces. Prepared on Holy Saturday along with the next day's lamb, magiritsa is consumed immediately after the midnight Divine Liturgy.

1 kg lamb offal (heart, liver, lungs and other organs)
1 large red onion, finely chopped
5-6 spring onions, finely chopped
3 medium romaine (cos) lettuce, roughly chopped
2-3 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup rice
/2 a cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the egg lemon sauce (Avgolemono)
2 eggs
juice of 2 lemons

In a large pot add the organs and plenty of water and bring to the boil. Blanch the organs in the hot water for about 3-5 minutes. Add the intestines and blanch for 5 more minutes. Drain and set aside to cool down for a while. Chop in small pieces and remove the excessive fat (optional).

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil, the chopped onions and the meat. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, until browned. Add 2-3 glasses of hot water and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the roughly chopped lettuce squeezing them down to fit and place the lid on. Cook for 10 minutes, remove the lid and season. Stir well and cook the magiritsa with the lid on for about 40-50 more minutes. (If you choose to make this magiritsa recipe with rice, stir in the rice about 10 minutes before the end of cooking time.)

Egg lemon sauce: Start off by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and add the lemon juice whist whisking until combined. In another bowl add the egg whites and whisk using a hand mixer until the egg whites are foamy and thick. While whisking slowly add the yolk mixture in the egg whites. Continue whisking for 1-2 minutes and gradually add 1-2 ladles of the hot broth from the magiritsa, a litte bit at a time. Make sure you add the broth slowly or the egg whites will curdle! When done, pour the mixture back into the pot and add the chopped dill. Stir well, place the lid on and leave aside for 5 minutes.

Ladle the magiritsa while still warm into bowls and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

(You can optionally create lamb stock out of lamb's head and some onions to add to this soup)