Dinner Tonight: Avgolemono (Greek Lemon and Rice Soup)
Apparently, people are clamoring for Avgolemono, a lemony Greek chicken soup, judging from the 62 reviews for the Epicurious recipe available online, which has a respectable three-fork rating. Personally, I don't have memories of slurping this soup down in some Greek diner on my corner, but many do, especially in Chicago, and they all want a good recipe. The only problem is that actually reading these abundant reviews (a post on Too Many Chefs lead me there) reveals a shake-up: the Epicurious recipe is disparaged as inauthentic. Hardly anyone likes it. Instead, a mysterious cook known only as "Boston, MA" who left a comment in 2002, is repeatedly praised as the provider of an "OUTSTANDING," "SUPER" and "MUCH better" recipe than the original—and many people provide high ratings for her recipe instead. It's just a quick paragraph and comes from the author's experience watching her Yia Yia (grandmother) make it when she was a child. It involves 5 ingredients, including pepper.
With some chicken stock in the freezer and a pile of lemons, I set out to see what the hype was about (this recent cloudy weather made it all the more appealing). Some orzo or rice is simmered in the stock until tender, and in the meantime the egg whites are whipped separately, the yolks and lemon juice added, followed by some of the warmed stock. By throwing the whisk around like a madman, I was able to achieve the soup's unique alchemy: the eggs, rather than stiffening and cooking into a scramble-like mess, turn the soup creamy and rich. It also softens the acidity of the lemon, which leads off the flavor profile, followed by "richness of eggs, salt of chicken [stock], and starch of rice, in that order." This one's going in my regular Winter rotation.
Avgolemono (Greek Lemon and Rice Soup)
- serves 4 -
Ingredients
8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, if not, low sodium
1 cup orzo pasta, or rice
4 eggs, separated
Juice of 3 lemons
Freshly ground black pepper
Procedure
1. Bring stock to a boil and add orzo or rice. Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Season stock to taste with salt, if necessary.
2. When the orzo or rice is nearing tenderness, whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until medium peaks. Add egg yolks and lemon juice, whisking continuously.
3. When the orzo or rice is finished, transfer 2 cups of the hot stock to the egg/lemon mixture, adding very slowly in a constant stream and beating vigorously to prevent the eggs from solidifying.
4. Take the soup off the heat and add the beaten mixture back into the pot, whisking to incorporate. Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.
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8 Comments:
This is definitely a recipe that is ill-served with fussy add-ins (though I do like a little shredded chicken to make a meal). The worst I ever tasted had sugar.
It's been so long that I look forward to making this again soon.
renzata at 6:19PM on 02/08/08
I loved this as a kid - one of our local Greek-owned restaurants served it every week, so I had it a lot. I also like it with shredded chicken to make a meal, but it's SO much better with orzo than rice, IMO.
mckaig at 12:49PM on 02/09/08
This sounds very much like my husband makes it... it's such a wonderful soup for a cold day! And the basic method is great to use to thicken other soups, too.
Girlie at 3:02PM on 02/10/08
Made this for supper last night, and it was perfect. We added a touch of fresh-chopped parsley right before serving. And it was what the doctor ordered when I woke up this morning, and discovered I had the flu.
BipolarLawyerCook at 7:30PM on 02/11/08
We eat this with orzo instead of rice, so delicious! Sometimes, if I still find it a little too acidic I'll add some plain chicken broth to cut lemon.
veggieout at 4:44PM on 01/10/09
I blend the eggs in a blender, then drizzle in the lemon juice while it's running, followed by the hot stock. This is a family favorite!
myrnie_twin at 5:03PM on 01/10/09
When do you add the egg whites to the yolk/lemon and stock?
GiantsfanJT at 10:07PM on 01/11/09
let me tell you i really loved this soup, i make it all the time now its so good. most of the recipes that i come across dont even have us add the eggs whites but that is what makes the whole soup i love it thank you so much!! i couldnt have picked a better recipe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow11 at 3:58PM on 03/23/09