Magiritsa - μαγειρίτσα

Magiritsa is the main traditional meal of Easter (on Easter Sunday) has traditionally been an occasion to slaughter a lamb or goat, and this soup was designed to use the leftover parts so that nothing went to waste.

This soup is prepared on Holy Saturday and eaten after midnight church services. Traditionally, the soup is put on low heat to cook before leaving for church, and eaten on return.

Ingredients:

1 kg lamb offal (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 lettuce, roughly chopped
4-5 table-spoons fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup rice (optional)
1/2 a cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper


Sauce Avgolemono:
2 eggs
juice of 2 lemons


Preparation:
Clean and wash thoroughly the organs and set aside. Wash thoroughly the intestines under running water, rub them with sea salt and lemon juice and wash again. (To wash them more easily you can either slice them up lengthwise or turn them inside out.)

In a large pot add the organs and plenty of water and bring to the boil. Boil 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.

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. 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.)

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, 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.