I have been curious about how to make Greek Lemon soup (also called Avgolemono) since tasting it for the first time when I was about 10 years old. My parents and I had stopped for dinner at a shabby, ram-shackle bare-boards shopping center on our way home from a trip and were in desperate need of something good to eat. We spotted a dim sign for a Greek restaurant, and having no other options, decided to try it.
"Why not?"- Right?
Well, it turned out to be the most amazing food my 10 year-old taste buds had ever encountered! The spices and aromas were ones I had never experienced. And the best part of all? The appetizer of Avgolemono, a zesty and creamy soup that warmed me inside and out.
Recently, I have been on a quest to capture that warmth and flavor of the Lemon Soup I enjoyed when I was 10. In an effort to to recreate it I failed several times, until I finally, I figured out the following simple recipe.
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup brown rice
Juice from 4 lemons
6 Cups of Vegetable (or chicken) broth
*This soup is super simple, but requires a little finesse when tempering the egg yokes.
Let's Make Soup!
1. Bring the broth to a boil in a large soup pot. Add the rice and let cook until rice is cooked through. about 20 minutes.
2. While the rice cooks, whisk together the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy.
3. When the rice is cooked, remove the soup pot from the heat. Pour about 1 cup of the steamy hot broth into the egg white and lemon juice mixture. Stir vigorously until the mixture foams.
4. Slowly add the broth, egg white, lemon juice mixture back to the large soup pot. Stir slowly. Place the soup back on the heat until it is hot, but not boiling. Serve immediately. Garnish with dill and chopped lemon on the rind.
Note: This soup does not keep well, so plan to eat it all once made.
