|
Preparing the lamb:
The mouth, nose and ears of the
lamb’s head have to be cleaned. Get your butcher to do this
for you and to split the cranium in half. Wash the head,
brain, heart, lung and liver thoroughly in cold water. Run
clean water from the tap through the intestines and make sure
that they are cleaned completely, then using a stick, turn
them inside out and clean again. Soak the cleaned head and all
the organs in water with the lemon juice mixed in for at least
1 hour, then drain.
Making the Soup:
Place all the lamb parts into a
large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt and pepper and
bring to a boil. Remove any foam that collects on top and let
it boil over medium heat about 40 minutes or until the meat is
tender.
Remove all the lamb parts from
the pot and set aside so they can cool down a bit for you to
handle them. Strain the broth and return it to the pot,
setting aside 2 cups of broth for the Egg-Lemon sauce.
With a heavy knife, finely chop
the intestines and brains and return them to the broth. Chop
the heart, liver and lung finely, discarding any cartilage or
thick membranes and return them to the broth as well. Pick
over the head and return any meat to the broth. If it's your
preference the eyes can also be included.
Add the onions, dill, parsley
and celery with the butter into the soup pot and bring it all
to a boil, cooking over medium heat for about 1 hour. Add the
rice and boil gently until it is done, about 15 minutes more
and then remove the pot from the heat.
Egg-Lemon Sauce/Avgolemono:
Beat the egg whites with a mixer
until peaks form but not stiff. Beat in the yolks one at a
time and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice. Gradually add in
the reserved stock. Pour the entire mixture into the soup pot,
stirring constantly so the egg doesn’t separate on you. Serve
immediately.
Susie’s Note:
I have to tell you, that at first I couldn’t bear the idea of
eating this soup. Growing up on America’s East Coast, we
didn’t have many dishes with Lamb innards. When I finally got
up my courage to try this, I was impressed. It really is
delicious soup. So be adventurous, you may be pleasantly
surprised too. |
