Avgolemono soup
Avgolemono (αβγολέμονο) in greek means egg-lemon sauce or soup. Avgolemono soup is one of Greece’s best-known classic dishes. However, this soup isn’t probably originated from Greece. It is believed that the roots of the Avgolemono belong to Jewish shepherd tribes that migrated in today’s Spain territory around the year AD1000. This soup is known by various names in many countries, in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Arab countries and Balkan cuisine.
The soup is made primarily from chicken or lamb and the base is usually the chicken broth. Rice, orzo pasta or noodles are used in this soup. Lemon juice and egg mixture, beaten until smooth, is added to the soup to make it thicker. Starch from rice or pasta adds thickness and stabilizes the egg-lemon emulsion so that it does not shrink.
An interesting and a bit unexpected taste experience that I recommend to try.
Preparation time: 1h preparation of broth. 15 min preparation, 30 min soup making
Level: Medium
Serving: 4 servings
Ingredients:
50 g pasta (noodles, orzo pasta) or rice
1 liter of water for broth
10-20 black peppercorns
3 chicken legs with bones and skin
1 medium onion
4 eggs
1 large lemon juice
Salt and black pepper for seasoning
A slice of lemon and a couple of twigs to serve fresh dill
Preparation:
1. Prepare the broth. Place chicken legs, peppercorns, and onion (few layers of dark peel removed) to the soup pot. Lightly season with salt. Let it boil and remove the foam, lower the temperature to a minimum and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 1h.
2. Allow chicken to cool, drain the broth through a fine sieve. Clean the chicken meat from the bones and skin, cut into pieces and add the meat to the broth.
3. Bring the broth to a boil over low heat, add the pasta or rice and cook for 5-7 minutes.
4. Whisk the eggs in the foam for a few minutes, squeeze the juice out of the one lemon and add gradually to the egg while stirring the mixture.
5. Slowly add the egg-lemon mixture to the broth, stirring constantly the soup.
6. Heat the soup for a few minutes until the soup thickens. Don’t let the soup boil.
7. Season the soup with salt if necessary, add ground pepper and serve with dill and fresh lemon slices.
Ready!
