Magiritsa – Traditional Greek Easter Soup

Magiritsa – Traditional Greek Easter Soup

Magiritsa

This soup is prepared on Holy Saturday during the day. Then the soup is put on low heat to cook before leaving in the evening for the church and is then eaten on returning home after the midnight church services.

Magiritsa (pronounced ‘mah-yee-REET-sah’) is a unique Greek soup made from the innards of the lamb and romaine (cos) lettuce, garnished with fresh herbs and finished of with a delicious egg lemon sauce (Avgolemono). This is a traditional Greek Magiritsa recipe for the lovers of the authentic Greek cuisine!

Ingredients

  • 1 kg lamb innards (heart, liver, lungs and other organs)
  • intestines from 1 lamb (optional)
  • 1 large red onion, finely chopped
  • 5-6 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 3 medium romaine (cos) lettuce, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
  • ½ cup rice (optional)
  • ½ a cup olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

For the egg lemon sauce (Avgolemono)

  • 2 eggs
  • juice of 2 lemons

Preparation

  1. To prepare this traditional Greek magiritsa recipe, clean and wash the innards thoroughly and set aside. Wash the intestines thoroughly under running water, rub them with sea salt and lemon juice, then wash them again. (To wash them more easily you can either slice them up lengthwise or turn them inside out.)
  2. In a large pot add the innards and plenty of water and bring to the boil. Blanch the innards 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.
  3. Chop in small pieces and remove the excessive fat.
  4. 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.
  5. Add 2-3 glasses of hot water and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  6. Add the roughly chopped lettuce, squeezing them down to fit and place the lid on. Cook for 10 minutes.
  7. 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.)
  8. Prepare the egg lemon sauce for the magiritsa. 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.
  9. 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 little bit at a time. Make sure you add the broth slowly or the egg whites will curdle!
  10. 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. (See also some tips to make the perfect Avgolemono).
  11. Ladle the magiritsa (Greek Easter soup) while still warm into bowls and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

If you like to prepare a stock form the lamb head and neck for the magiritsa, wash thoroughly the head and neck and place in a large pot, along with two red onions. Pour in enough water to cover, season and simmer for approx. 1 hour, skimming the surface. When the meat falls from the bones, remove the pot from the stove and strain the stock. Let the stock cool down completely and skim the fat. Use the stock and equal amount of water to prepare the magiritsa soup.

Alternatives for your child

When I was a child i didn’t like the innards or vegetables, so my mother made the following alternative for me and the other children.

She boiled veal in separate pot for us. Unknown to us, she mixed this with some of the previously made magiritsa soup.

Only years later did my mom tell me that we actually also ate the magiritsa and thus got all the good nourishment of the original soup.

I found this interesting video showing how to prepare your magiritsa.

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