Avgolemono - Lemon Egg Soup
The profusion of lemons as of late has left me longing this lemon chicken and rice soup that I had a few times at a local restaurant, and it just so happens that the basic recipe is rather simple! I've added a few seasonings, though the most basic Greek recipes are simply stock - rice - egg -lemon. This recipe is scaled back slightly, since the soup isn't easy to heat due to the egg content. I've also made this with 1 cup of precooked or leftover chicken, but I really don't think it is necessary.
4 cups of Chicken broth (a standard 1 quart box, or two cans to equal 4 cups)
1/2 cup of rice (I used arborio)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Pour stock into a soup pot and add the parsley, thyme, and onion powder and bring to a low boil. Add the rice and simmer over low heat until rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. (Optional: Stir in cooked chicken now and cook an additional 5 minutes).
Whisk egg whites until frothy. Stir in yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and whisk to combine.
Remove 1 cup of hot soup from the pot, and slowly whisk into the egg mixture, no more than 1/2 cup at a time (I did 3rds), beating well between each addition to temper the eggs (you can NOT skip this step). Make sure soup is on very low heat and whisk the egg mixture into the soup pot, allowing it to heat gently. Do not allow mixture to boil after the addition of eggs.
