Greek Avgolemono Soup

Here is a quick, easy recipe for my favourite Greek soup. Translated, it means something like egg-lemon soup. It is sort of like the Greek version of Grandma's chicken soup, but with a creamy, lemony twist. In the recipe I mention cooked chicken and chicken broth here...the old school way is to make the broth and shred up some of the chicken you boiled in it, but just like chicken soup, the quicker way is to get yourself some leftover or bbq chicken and something like Bovril Chicken base, which is the closest thing to real that I have found.

Servings: About a third of a big soup pot full.

Ingredients: This is what happens when you get a recipe from my Greek father in-law.... We're talking about a man who sometimes gives measurements in juice glasses.... you sort of get used to this European way, you just have to taste a lot and make it to your liking.

Broth to fill a big soup pot up about half way, diluted with some water since it will cook down (something like 20 cups or so, depending on the pot).
1 cup or so of plain long grain rice or orzo
1 medium carrot, quartered lengthwise then sliced into small pieces
2 eggs
2 heaping soup spoons corn starch
lemon to taste (LOTS!)
2 cups of shredded cooked chicken (boil it in the broth if it's not cooked already and then top off the pot with more water)
a sprinkling of dill
salt to taste

Directions:

Bring the broth to a boil, add the rice and carrot and boil until cooked.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon and corn starch. When I say lots of lemon, I'm not kidding. I'm sure I used at least half a cup in this big soup pot. You almost can't put too much. It's really important that you temper the egg by slowly drizzling in big spoonfuls of the hot soup and stirring constantly, just about until the egg mixture is hot. Then you slowly stir that mixture into the pot. Be very careful about this, because otherwise the egg just cooks right up and turns into wispy scrambled eggs in the pot... not what you are going for.

While you let the soup cook for a couple of minutes, maybe 5 or so, add the chicken and seasonings. That's all! This soup is soooo good and warm, it's all you want to eat after a week of over-eating. I myself have a big container of it in the fridge, and it's lunches for the week.

Have a great day!