Avgolemono soup
“Egg-lemon” soup may not sound like an appetising soup based on the direct translation from the Greek “Avgolemono”. The soup is actually a humble chicken and rice soup, thickened with egg and flavoured with freshly squeezed lemon. It's comforting and satisfying without being too heavy.
This recipe was passed down from my family and tweaked a little to suit my family. It’s quite common for Greek families to start feeding their children this nutritious soup as soon as they can handle a few soft lumps. When my children were around 8 months, I would blend it a little with a hand held whisk. We still enjoy this soup today, and find it very nourishing during the colder months of the year or when we are feeling poorly.
Some notes on the recipe:
If you are making this for a family, including a baby, make a batch of soup without any salt and keep a little aside. The remaining soup can be seasoned afterwards for the rest of the family.
I use risotto rice instead of long grain rice because of it’s soft, creamy texture. If you use long grain rice, you will need to use 1 ½ - 2 cups of rice as the risotto rice thickens and expands a lot more.
Use your favourite aromatic vegetables and herbs in the stock for a more flavoursome soup base.
Always use chicken on the bone-pieces or whole chicken. It not only tastes better, but it’s more nutritious. Chicken pieces also cook quicker.
If you are pushed for time, use a good quality chicken stock or vegetable stock, and omit the cooked chicken. See the recipe for homemade chicken stock.
Leftover chicken can be used for snacks, sandwiches or salads.
AVGOLEMONO SOUP
Serves 6
6 pieces of free range chicken (I use chicken breasts and thighs, on the bone)
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 stick celery
2 shallots or 1 medium onion, peeled
2 bay leaves
1 slice fresh ginger
6 cups water
1 cup risotto rice
2 free range eggs, at room temperature
Juice of one lemon, to taste
Salt to taste
Add the chicken, carrot, celery, shallots, bay leaves and ginger to a large pot and bring to the boil. You can leave the vegetables whole as they will be discarded later. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer with the lid askew for about 1 hour until the chicken is well cooked.Skim off the scum on top using a spoon.
Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot. Discard the vegetables and bay leaves and keep the chicken aside for later.
Add the rice to the pot and cook for about 40 minutes until soft. I like my rice to be over cooked as it makes the soup creamier. If the liquid level drops, top up with more water. It should look like soup at the end of cooking time, not risotto! Remove the pot from the heat while you make the egg-lemon sauce.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until frothy. Pour in half the lemon juice and then temper the egg mixture with spoonful’s of either the soup, or warm water if you need to top up the water level in the soup. Pour the egg-lemon sauce into the pot, stirring continuously.Check seasoning and add more lemon juice to taste. Serve with shredded chicken either mixed into the soup or on the side.
Note:
This soup will thicken on standing so be prepared to add extra water after cooking.
