"Tsilihourda" - A different version of the traditional Easter mageiritsa

In most households around Greece after the Resurrection church service, on Saturday night, a plate of hot Mageiritsa soup is waiting so to start the joyous Easter feast which will last until Monday! There are various recipes of Mageiritsa around Greece and nowadays even vegetarian versions of it exist or others with chicken for those who are not fans of the lamb's offal traditionally used for this special delicacy. Here we have a version of mageiritsa called "Tsilihourda", a traditional recipe coming from Corfu island. It is quite different than the classic mageiritsa : first of all Tsilihourda is not a soup really like the classic recipe which, personally, I'm glad about since I'm not a big fan of soups! Then, no rice and no avgolemono sauce are involved which again to me looks more attractive. Another difference is the addition of garlic and wine. But, regardless the differences from region to region, what all mageiritsa versions have in common is the lamb's offal and that doesn't change. Tsilihourda, in my opinion, is a lighter type of mageiritsa comparing to those I'm used to and definitely it is worth a go!

Cooked by Nicki Mytarea,

"Cook Book" magazine of "ETHNOS" newspaper

Ingredients (for 6-8 people):
The offal of 2 young lambs (liver, spleen, lung, heart) or the liver only
The intestines of the 2 lambs

1 bunch of dill, finely snipped

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

6-7 Spring onions, finely chopped (both white and green tender part)

1 glass of white dry wine

3 cloves of garlic (preferably fresh), finely chopped

4 tbsp of olive oil

1-2 lemons, the juice

salt
black pepper

Method:

Thoroughly wash under running water the intestines and the rest of the offal. *** The most thorough way of cleaning the intestines is to attach each, one at a time, to the water tap and run warm water through them until they are very clean. Squeezing them, if needed, between thumb and forefinger so to force out any impurities. This has to be repeated 2-3 times.

Then cut the intestines and the rest of the offal into large bites. Blanch all the offal in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, transfer into a colander and leave to drain.

In the meantime, warm the oil in a deep frying pan on medium-high heat. Throw in the offal and sauté for 1-2 minutes stirring with a wooden spatula. Then add in the pan the Spring onions, the garlic, the dill, the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Quickly stir for 1-2 minutes and then pour with the wine.

Allow the alcohol to evaporate for 1 minute and then add warm water just enough to cover the ingredients. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until the offal is cooked through and tender. In the end add the lemon juice, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes with the food ending with a nice thick-ish sauce.

Serve while the food is still hot.