Magiritsa recipe: traditional Greek Easter soup

This traditional Magiritsa recipe is a dish prepared and served in almost every household in Greece on Holy Saturday, after midnight mass.

There are many variations of this traditional Greek soup, for example some regions add rice, while the Peloponnesian Magiritsa recipe includes freshly grated tomatoes.

In some parts of Greece it is served as a Fricassee rather than a soup, with a variety of vegetables while others prefer to prepare it with lamb, veal, or only with liver.

Nowadays, Magiritsa is also commonly served as a vegetarian soup, prepared mainly with mushrooms.

The original Magiritsa though is made from lamb offal and here is a simple to follow recipe for it-

Ingredients-

• 1.5 kg lamb liver and other organs cut into cubes
• 1 small intestine (about 300gm), well cleaned and cut into small pieces
• 1 bunch dill finely chopped
• 1 bunch parsley finely chopped
• 1 large lettuce, washed and coarsely chopped
• 5 spring onions finely chopped
• 150ml white, dry wine
• 150ml olive oil
• 100gm medium grain rice
• 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1 tbs vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method-

• In large stock pot heat add water till three quarters full and add salt. Allow to boil and add the lamb liver and organs (not the intestine) and cook for about 5 minutes or until they change color and soften. Strain the meat and discard water.
• In a pan, heat oil on a medium heat and sauté the onions with the lettuce and a little salt for about 2 minutes, until they are soft and begin to shrink.
• Add the lamb liver and organs, the small intestine, dill and parsley and continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring the ingredients with a wooden spoon until they are covered in oil. Add salt and pepper and pour in the wine. Let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated.
• Add another 1 litre of water and cook for approximately one hour, or until the ingredients have softened.
• Add the rice and continue cooking for 25 minutes until rice is cooked through .
• In a bowl whisk the egg whites with the vinegar and a little salt until it forms a stiff meringue. In another bowl, beat the yolks with the lemon juice until frothy. Add the meringue, mix and gradually add broth from the soup with a spoon to the egg, mixing continuously so that the mixture gradually warms up. Then empty the Avgolemono into the Magiritsa, and mix with ladle.
• Let it rest for 5 minutes for flavours to combine and serve.

* Cleaning the Intestines

• The night before place the intestines in a bowl and cover them with water, squeeze the juice of a lemon into the water (to whiten them) and place in fridge.
• The next day take one end of the intestine, stretch the opening with your fingers and place the opening under running tap. Allow plenty of water to flow in and then, squeezing the intestine, (it will swell like a balloon) push the water down towards the other end. Repeat the procedure a number of times until the water that comes out of the other end is clean.