As we adjust to life in the country, we are faced with a handful of new culinary challenges. One - which deserves much more discussion than we'll give it today - is that it's ironically much harder to buy local produce here than it was in NYC. Another (as the NYTimes warned) is that along with the joys of backyard chickens comes the reality of a constant and consistent supply of eggs that need to be consumed! This, however, is a fun problem.
The other day Jake’s dad made his awesome roasted chicken and (for once) we had some leftovers. So we decided to make a stock, picking the meat off the bones and saving it for a soup. The question was... what kind of soup? Nothing too heavy or hearty, but something that would use up some of our eggs!
As you'll probably notice, our palates change with the seasons. During the winter we tend toward mountain foods from Tuscany, Piedmonte, and Auvergne, and as the weather warms we move further southeast to the Mediterranean and Middle-East. Nothing tastes like spring quite like Greek food, so with our chicken and eggs we decided to make avgolemono, a classic Greek lemon and egg chicken soup. This dish is so simple and so tasty - made with a just a few bright, yellow ingredients which meld perfectly. And in our chicken glut, it was like hitting two birds with one stone.
As you'll probably notice, our palates change with the seasons. During the winter we tend toward mountain foods from Tuscany, Piedmonte, and Auvergne, and as the weather warms we move further southeast to the Mediterranean and Middle-East. Nothing tastes like spring quite like Greek food, so with our chicken and eggs we decided to make avgolemono, a classic Greek lemon and egg chicken soup. This dish is so simple and so tasty - made with a just a few bright, yellow ingredients which meld perfectly. And in our chicken glut, it was like hitting two birds with one stone.
Avgolemono Soup
+ meat from one roasted chicken
+ 7 cups chicken stock
+ 1 cup of orzo, cooked
+ 5 eggs
+ juice of 4 lemons
+ salt and pepper to taste
+ 4 tbsp chopped parsley
1. Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot. When boiling, remove the pot from the heat.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, lemon juice, and pepper until emulsified.
3. While whisking the egg mixture, slowly add a ladle of the hot broth to it to temper. Whisk in another two ladles of the hot broth in the same way.
4. Using the same method of whisking gradually, whisk the egg mixture back into the pot of soup, stirring constantly. Add the chicken meat.
5. Return the soup to the medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes or just until the mixture thickens slightly. Be sure not to let the mixture bubble. Add the the orzo and stir well. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Serves 6-8
I tried it. Scrumptious, and incredibly easy. I'm hooked!
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