Greek Chicken Soup with Avgolemono
(Egg/Lemon Sauce)
(Makes 6 servings)
This is supposed to be the
Greek cure for the common cold. It's certainly comforting!
Ingredients:
3 lbs white meat chicken
pieces
8 cups water
1/2 bunch parsley
1 medium onion, minced very
fine
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup long-grain rice
1 large carrot, minced very
fine
1 stalk celery, minced very
fine
Juice of 2 lemons
4 egg whites or 1/2 cup Egg
Beaters
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1. Put chicken, water,
parsley, onion, and salt in a large pan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover pan and let simmer
for at least 45 minutes.
3. Remove chicken and
parsley, discard parsley.
4. Let chicken cool a bit, so
you don't burn yourself, and cut into cubes.
5. Set aside.
6. Add rice, carrot and
celery to broth and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Add lemon juice to the
soup.
8. Stir.
9. Turn off heat.
10. Beat the egg whites and
cornstarch in a small bowl.
11. While whisking, slowly
dribble in hot chicken stock- never stop whisking.
12. Do this until you have
used up a couple of ladlefuls of stock.
13. This tempers the egg
whites so they do not curdle.
14. Slowly add egg whites to
the hot soup and give a good stir.
15. Add chicken and serve,
sprinkled with a bit of pepper (if desired).
Note: If you do choose to use
egg whites instead of Egg Beaters, you should know that the eggs in
this soup are not raw - they are cooked by the hot stock. That's what
the tempering process is all about (and to make sure the eggs don't
curdle!).
Adapted slightly from a
recipe by evelyn/athens at Recipezaar.