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Traditional Magiritsa (Greek Easter soup)

Traditional Magiritsa (Greek Easter Soup)

Bushra
A traditional Greek Easter soup made with lamb offal, vegetables, and egg-lemon sauce (avgolemono)
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Greek
Servings 8 servings
Calories 272 kcal

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Mixing bowls
  • Hand mixer

Ingredients
  

For the Magiritsa

  • 1 kg lamb offal (heart, liver, lungs and other organs)
  • 1 lamb intestines optional
  • 1 large red onion finely chopped
  • 5-6 spring onions finely chopped
  • 3 medium romaine lettuce roughly chopped
  • 4-5 tbsp fresh dill chopped
  • 1/2 cup rice optional
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

For the egg lemon sauce (Avgolemono)

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 lemons juiced

Instructions
 

  • To prepare this traditional Greek magiritsa recipe, 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. 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.
  • 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.)
  • 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. 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!

Notes

(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.)

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcalCarbohydrates: 7.3gProtein: 21.3gFat: 18.4gSaturated Fat: 3.3gCholesterol: 502.2mgSodium: 520.1mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1.6g
Keyword Greek Easter traditions, lamb offal soup, Orthodox Easter dish, spring holiday recipe, traditional Greek soup
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