Greek Lemon Soup
Back 6 yrs ago I had a Lemon Soup that I was told was of Greek origin.This was in a restuarant in Greenwich Village. Just a small place with maybe 8 tables and all they served was soup. I have thought about this soup for a long time and do believe the base was chicken stock. I would like a receipe for this soup, if anyone has one.
Yacki
Jan 10, 2002 08:48PM
You're talking about avgolemono.
Avgolemono Soupa
Egg and Lemon Soup
6 cups chicken or fish stock
1/3 cup short grain rice or small soup noodles
salt to taste
3 eggs, separated
juice of 1 large lemon
white pepper
Bring stock to the boil and add rice or noodles and salt to taste. Stir until stock returns to a slow boil, cover and simmer gently or 20 minutes or until rice or noodles are tender. Skim during cooking if necessary. In a bowl beat egg whites until stiff, add
yolks and beat until light and creamy. Gradually beat in lemon juice. Ladle about a quarter of the simmering soup into the eggs, whisking constantly. Gradually add egg mixture to soup, stirring vigorously. Remove soup from heat. Keep stirring for 1 minute and adjust sasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Serves 6
Note: Soup doesn't reheat well at all. Can prepare the stock beforehand, but the rice must be cooked in the stock just before it is required for serving.
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I assume you're referring to Avgolemono. Here's a recipe from my favorite Greek cookbook--Food Fit for Gods from the St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Church in Overland Park, KS. (Also has the best baklava recipe I'ved ever made). Book was a fund raiser; doubt it is still available but if you're interested it's worth a try: church address is/was 8100 West 95th Street; Overland Park, KS 66212. (In 1974 it was $3.00!) Here's recipe:
Kota Avgolemono Supa
3-4 lb. chicken
1 C rice
2 Tbs salt
3 or 4 eggs
juice of 2 1/2 lemons, strained
Clean chicken, place in pot, cover w/ water; bring to boil. Spoon off froth. Add 1 Tbs salt; simmer until chicken tender. Remove chicken, salt and pepper to taste, brush w/ melted butter, lightly brown in oven. Strain broth. Add water if doesn't measure 4 qts. If broth is thin add 2 Tbs butter. Bring broth to boil, add 1 Tbs salt and rice. Cook on medium heat about 20 min. or until rice cooked. Beat eggs until fluffy. Slowly stir in lemon juice, beat 2 minutes. Add broth, a little at a time, to egg/lemon mixture until most broth used, beating constantly. (Do slowly to prevent curdling). Very slowly, pour mixture back into pot w/ remaining broth, stirring constantly. Makes 6-8 generous servings.
The recipe never mentions the chicken in the oven again; use your imagination.
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This really brings back memories..I lived with a spunky 80 something Greek voice teacher for two years. She is legally blind but is a fantastic cook and a wonder worker with voices!
Her avgolemono soup is made like you say, starting with a whole chicken to get the broth, but then she doesn't put the chicken in the oven, rather she then remove the skin, and use the breast for sandwiches.
The broth is left to cool, and then the fat that has solidified on the top layer scooped off and discarded.
One thing that's different is that she never uses noodles nor rice, just some creme of wheat to thicken. So it's just creamy without the need to chew. Her soup is so frangrant with lemon and rich chicken stock even though she always starts off with her memory of the "real lemon" with real lemon fragrance you get in Greece(she has the same longing for their tomatos and figs..)
I don't know if this is her own version, but it has a special place in my heart.
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Try it with a Meyer lemon, it will knock your socks off. Use a little bit of the Meyer lemon zest as well.
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And, zest that Meyer lemon with a microplane. (g)
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You bet, Melanie. I had no interest in a microplane (having very little room for anything ELSE in my apartment, even something so small) until we started getting Meyer lemons in Chicago. At that price, I need to use the whole thing, so they usually end up being zested, juiced, and the hulls steeped in sugar syrup for use in drinks, tea, etc.
And I loved my microplane so much that my husband gave me another one that is perfect for grating parmesan (okay, that's his job, but sometimes it's nice to give someone a present that you know they will appreciate because it makes your life easier, now I know he'll enjoy grating the cheese instead of feeling like I'm giving him a scut job).
Just ordered myself 10 pounds of Meyer lemons because the ones I've been getting here in Chicago have been uneven this year....some very large and soft, start shriveling up in a couple of days, some small and hold better but not as juicy. I decided it was time to really explore the thing. I'll probably be pulling my hair out, but it will be fun.
Melanie, you seem like a wine person, please give me some suggestions on wine that would go with Meyer lemons. I'm food, my husband's wine, I need to be able to hold up my end of the conversation when we plan the meyer lemon blow-out dinner.
Thanks.
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There is one secret to good avgolemono...homemade, rich chicken broth. Canned will not do...it must have that gelatinous quality of the real thing.
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Thanks for the reminder about Agolimono soup, I love it and haven't made it in ages. There seem to be several good recipes in other posts. I think using a rich chicken stock is very important. I also add dried lemons (from my local Middle East market) while making the stock for extra lemon flavor.
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Jeff Smith's (the Frugal Gourmet) book on Greek or Mediterranean cooking has a great avgolemono recipe - the thicker version is used as a sauce for dolmades. His dolmades recipe is also excellent, btw.
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