Avgolemono Soup Frugal Gourmet Recipe 45

AVGOLEMONO SOUP - EASY AND AWESOME!

Steps:

• Notes: The outcome of soup really depends on the quality of the chicken base you use. I have found that broth is too weak for the most part, so I highly recommend avoiding broth for this recipie. I have found better success with bullion. The bullion gives you control over the strength of the chicken flavor. If you have a good chicken base, the soup will be good. If you have bad bullion/broth, the soup will be sub-par. A good test is tasting the broth on it's own. If it tastes like a soup you'd eat on it's own, it's a good place to start!
• Place 5 cups of tap water in a large pot. Set pot on stove and heat on Med-High.
• Meanwhile, using a large bowl, rinse the 1/2 cup white rice in cold water 3-4 times. Remove any excess water from the rice after rinsing.
• Once the water begins to boil, add the rinsed rice into the pot.
• Immediately after adding the rice, add 2 1/2 cubes of Knorr Chicken bullion to the boiling pot, stirring until the bullion dissolves. Allow the soup to boil for 1 minute.
• Cover the pot with a lid, and turn the temperature of the stove down to simmer. Set a timer for whatever the recommended cook time of the rice LESS 5 minute (So if the rice cooking instructions say 20 min, set the timer for 15).
• Now, in a large mixing bowl, break open three eggs and add 3 TBS of lemon juice. Lemon lovers, hold your horses at this step. You can add more lemon at the end to your lemony liking. This is just to set the eggs. Using an electric mixer on LOW, or a handheld manual mixter, thoroughly blend the lemon and egg together until very smooth. The more blended this mixture, the less likely you will have egg separate in the soup. If you are mixing by hand, make sure you get it as smooth as possible mixing very well. Allow the lemon egg mixture to rest in the bowl about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
• When the timer for the broth goes off, remove the pot from the heat source. Take one cup full of the HOT chicken broth and slowly stir it into your mixing bowl containing the lemon egg mixture. Repeat this 3 times, or for as much broth as you can safely transfer.
• Now, take the contents of the mixing bowl and pour it back into the pot. Stir the mixture well.
• Bring the soup in pot to a boil on a med/low heat and allow to boil for 3 minutes.
• Add more lemon to your liking 1 TBS at a time. It's easy to over lemon, so make sure you take it slow. I usually like about 2 extra TBS.
• Serve hot and Enjoy! (re-heating the soup will cause it to become very thick).

AVGOLEMONO SOUP

Steps:

• Place chicken, chopped onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and oregano in a large pot. Pour water over the top; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, skimming foam as necessary, until chicken is falling off the bone, 60 to 90 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a bowl to cool, strain all vegetables from simmering broth, discard vegetables, and return broth to the pot. Chop cooked chicken meat.
• Combine 2 cups diced onion, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a large skillet. Cook and stir onion mixture over medium heat until onion is soft, sweet, and golden, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir onion mixture into chicken broth in the pot and set over medium-low heat; add Arborio rice and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is very tender and broth flavors combine, about 45 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together in a bowl; whisk in lemon juice. Slowly pour 1 cup broth mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add 1 more cup of broth to egg mixture and whisk. Pour egg mixture into broth in the pot, add chopped chicken, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes more.

AVGOLEMONO SOUP (FRUGAL GOURMET) RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Stir the milk and cornstarch together and then beat in the egg yolks. Set aside. Bring the stock to boil in a 4-qt soup pot and add the rice. Cook, covered, until the rice is puffy and tender, about 25 minutes. (Per variation below, you may add minced garlic now, too) Remove the soup from the heat and add the milk and egg mixture, stirring carefully. Continue to cook for a moment until all thickens. Remove from the heat again and add the butter, chopped parsley, and lemon juice. You may wish to add some grated lemon peel as well. Add salt and pepper to serve. Variation: In individual serving bowls, place shredded chicken and chopped basil. Also, minced garlic may be added into the soup during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Bring broth to a simmer in a 4-quart pot over high heat; add chicken. Reduce heat; simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a bowl. Reserve broth in pot. Let chicken cool slightly, and then shred with a fork into bite-size pieces.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo; cook until al dente. Drain. Add orzo and chicken to reserved broth. Bring broth just to a gentle simmer, and then reduce heat to low.
• Beat together eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until smooth. Ladle 1 cup hot broth into egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly until mixture is warm to the touch. Stir the egg-broth mixture into the broth in the pot. Stir in the dill, and season with pepper.

SOUPA AVGOLEMONO (EGG-LEMON SOUP)

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in saucepan, and add rice or orzo.
• Cover and cook on medium low heat for 20-25 minutes (rice) or 10 minutes (orzo).
• While the rice cooks, lightly beat the eggs and the lemon juice together.
• Remove the broth from heat.
• Slowly mix about one cup of the hot broth into egg-lemon mixture.
• Add to the soup gradually while stirring.
• Place saucepan back on the heat, and stir until soup is heated through (DO NOT BOIL).
• Serve.

GREEK AVGOLEMONO CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken and remove any organs that may be inside. Place in a pot large enough for the chicken to move around, but not too much room or the broth will be watery. Add the chicken neck if that is included with your chicken. Fill with enough water to cover by about 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, skimming the fat from the top as it collects.
• When the chicken is done, the meat should pull from the bones easily. Transfer the bird to a large bowl and set aside to cool. Add the rice, and season the broth with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 20 more minutes, or until rice is tender.
• Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a bowl. When the rice is done, turn off the heat. Whisk one ladle full of hot broth into the eggs slowly so the eggs do not curdle. Gradually whisk in more broth until the egg mixture is heated. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pot, whisking briskly. The result should be a creamy, cloudy looking soup. You may season with additional salt, pepper or lemon juice at this point.
• You may add pieces of chicken to the soup before serving or serve soup with salted chicken on the side.

CHILLED AND DILLED AVGOLEMONO SOUP

Steps:

• Simmer stock and rice in a heavy medium saucepan, covered, until rice is very tender, about 30 minutes. Purée mixture in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Whisk eggs together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot stock mixture. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until soup registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer.
• Strain soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Stir in lemon juice, then quick-chill in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold. Stir in scallion, dill, and salt and pepper to taste.