Mushroom Mageiritsa
This yummy recipe for Mushroom Mageiritsa is a vegetarian version of the classic Greek recipe for Easter soup. Mageiritsa, which comes from the Greek word “cook, or to cook,” essentially is an offal soup, using all the innards that otherwise would be tossed. It’s a way to use everything, the Greek version of nose to tail cooking. In this version, though, the mushrooms replace meat and offal, and the soup is both hearty and filling, as well as traditional in flavor, with lettuce, herbs and the avgolemono finish that defines it.
Ingredients
- 10 thyme sprigs
- 10 parsley sprigs
- 15 whole black peppercorns
- 2 whole onions peeled
- 2 whole carrots peeled
- 2 celery stalks trimmed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup dried or fresh morels
- 1 pound portobellos trimmed, halved and sliced
- 1 cup dried porcini rehydrated in warm water
- 2 pounds white or brown button mushrooms trimmed and sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup extra virgin Greek olive oil divided
- 2 quarts/liters water or vegetable stock
- 12 scallions trimmed, whites and tender upper greens finely chopped
- 8 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
- 1 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1 cup short-grain rice such as Greek glasé (glazed rice)
Avgolemono:
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- Strained fresh juice of 2 large lemons or more to taste
Instructions
-
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/3 cup olive oil and saute the scallions for a few minutes, until bright green and shiny. Add all the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute for about five minutes, for their flavor to develop. Don’t discard the liquid from draining the morels or porcini. Set it aside to pour back into the vegetable broth.
-
Add the mushrooms, scallions and all pan juices and mushroom soaking liquid to the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until mushrooms are tender. Add the shredded lettuce and dill and cook for a few more minutes, until the lettuce is soft. Add the rice and simmer until soft, about 20 minutes.
-
Prepare the avgolemono: In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice and frothy. Very slowly add 2 to 3 cups of hot soup to the egg mixture, until the egg is tempered, beating vigorously with a whisk to keep the egg from curdling. Pour egg mixture back into the pot and stir well with a wooden spoon. Adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste, and serve right away, hot.
Want to learn more easy, healthy Mediterranean diet recipes? Sign up for my online course “Mastering the Mediterranean!“
Love soup? Check out my online class “Comfort in a Soup Bowl!”
