MAGIRITSA
Editor's note:This recipe is excerpted from Aglaia Kremezi's bookThe Foods of Greece.
To read more about Kremezi and Greek Easter,click here.
Magiritsais made with the parts of the lamb not used for the spit-roasted Easter lamb, which is usually very small (about 20 pounds). In the classic recipe, all the innards — heart, lungs, and so forth — go into the pot, but they do not really contribute to the taste. The flavor of the stock comes from the boiled head and neck, and the soup gets its distinctive taste from scallions, fresh dill, and the egg-and-lemon mixture.
There are lots of differentmagiritsarecipes. A friend described to me the one her family prepared in Halki, a small island that is part of the Dodecanese. In her family's version, no innards were used because, in Halki as in all the Dodecanese, they do not roast the lamb on the spit but instead stuff it with rice and the innards. So in Halki'smagiritsa, many lambs' heads were boiled to make a very tasty stock, to which egg and lemon sauce is added at the end. The heads were not boned, but as they cooked for many hours, even their bones became soft. Each member of the family got one head and ate it with the broth. No scallions or dill were added to themagiritsa.
My recipe for Easter soup was given to me by my cousin's wife, Katy Kremezi, whose mother came from Smyrna (Izmir) in Asia Minor.
Ingredients
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Step 1
Wash the lamb head and neck thoroughly and place in a pot with the onions. Cover with cold water, season with salt, and simmer for about 1 hour, skimming the surface several times.
Step 2
Cut the intestines into several pieces and wash thoroughly under running water. If you like, slice them open so you can wash them more easily. In a separate pan, bring some salted water to a boil and add the intestines. Blanch for 2 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and discard the water. Chop the intestines finely. You don't need more than 1 cup of chopped intestines.
Step 3
头部和颈部完成当肉落摇来摇去m the bones. Remove them from the pot. Using a sharp knife, cut open the head and separate the meat from the bones. Remove the meat from the neck and cut all the meat into small pieces. Strain the stock and discard the onions. Let the stock cool and remove the fat. (Up to this point, the preparations can be made a day ahead. You can refrigerate the meat and the stock, making it easier to skim off the fat.)
Step 4
To finish the soup, wash the liver well and cut it into small cubes. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the liver with the scallions and chili pepper, if using. Add the finely chopped meat and intestines, together with 1 cup of the dill, and turn a few times with a wooden spoon. Transfer the mixture to a pot and add the stock plus an equal amount of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more pepper and salt if needed.
Step 5
Beat the eggs in a large bowl with about 2 spoonfuls of water and the juice of 1 lemon. Slowly add cupfuls of the hot soup to the bowl, beating continuously with the whisk. When the egg mixture is very hot, pour it slowly into the pot, stirring well, over very low heat, to prevent curdling. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed. Sprinkle with the rest of the dill, and serve immediately.
Step 6
NOTE: Some people add 1/2 to 1 cup short-grain rice to the soup.
Step 7
If you hate the taste of boiled lamb, you can make an equally tastymagiritsawith chicken livers and chicken stock. There is even a meatlessmagiritsa.Sauté the scallions and dill, adding a few chopped leaves of romaine lettuce. Pour in water or stock and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Make the egg and lemon mixture as described above and serve.
Leave a Review
Reviews (5)
Back to TopI have done it to my family and our parents and they were all very satisfied. My parents were proud of me and my parents in law could not believe it!
annayakinthou
Greece
4/14/2005
I grew up eating this soup, but my mother's version has all the flavor, but none of the innards!! She only uses lamb meat, which she boils until very tender, shreds it into the soup along with the traditional flavorings, like dill, scallions and rice. the result is a delicious egg-lemon lamb soup with NO innards!! It's the only way my family will eat mageiritsa.
maria6
chicago,Il
3/26/2005
x
kellerman
Palo Alto, CA
3/26/2005
I've eaten it but would never try to make it. Its delicious if you eat it with your eyes closed. One year my aunt bought a lamb head to make the soup -- my brother who was 12 at the time had too much fun with it. The memory is enough to keep me from making it.
Anonymous
Ramsey, NJ
3/23/2005
I haven't made this recipe either, but I had the great good fortune to eat mageritsa made by my mother-in-law several years ago when we visited Greece for Easter. In spite of sounding unappetizing to a gal who didn't grow up eating innards, the soup was delicious. I may never make it myself, but I would gladly eat it again.
Anonymous
Texas and Mexico City
3/12/2005
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