Magiritsa, or Easter soup, is traditionally served after midnight mass on Easter Sunday morning to break the fast of the 40 day lent period. As Easter is celebrated in Greece in the springtime, this soup is made with plenty of aromatic seasonal greens, such as spring onions, scallions and dill.
There are as many variations on this traditional dish, as there are families in Greece. Some people add lettuce, some add lamb intestines and others make more of a frikase rather than a soup.
This recipe is from our Mum Sophia, who uses lamb liver and sometimes lamb intestines. I’ve offered a variation on her recipe, using lamb shanks for those who are a little squeamish when it comes to either preparing or eating offal. If you are making this dish for Easter, it is best to prepare most of it beforehand. When everyone comes home from midnight mass, you can whip up the egg lemon sauce.
Magiritsa
Μαγειριτσα
Ingredients
- 1 Sikotaria (lamb liver) or three medium lamb shanks thoroughly cleaned
- 1 Onion
- 2 Sticks Celery plus leaves roughly chopped
- 5 Spring onions, small trimmed and finely chopped
- 6 Shallots / scallions finely chopped
- 1 espresso cup Carolina rice soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and rinsed
- 1/2 bunch Fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 litre Homemade chicken stock
- 2 Egg yolks
- 3 Lemons juiced
- Sea salt and black pepper corns to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the liver or shanks
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Put the liver or shanks in a large pot with celery and onion. Season with salt and black peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for the liver for 20 minutes or the shanks for around 2 hours, skimming the surface of any scum. Strain reserving the broth (there should be about 1 litre). Discard the aromatics. Cut the liver or shanks into small pieces and set aside, covered with clingfilm.
Prepare the soup
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In a clean pot, saute the spring onions and scallions in the extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped liver or shanks. Add the reserved broth and chicken stock and bring to the boil. Add the rice, season to taste. Simmer uncovered for around 20 minutes or until the meat is very tender. Add the dill and stir well. Turn off the heat.
Prepare the avgolemono
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In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, adding a little lemon juice at a time. Take the soup off the heat and ladle out a little of the broth. Gently pour the hot stock from the ladle into the egg-lemon mixture, continuing to whisk. Finally, pour the egg lemon sauce into the pot of soup and slowly stir. Serve immediately.
