Avgole-nono Soup

There is a very simple and delicious Greek soup called Avgolemono. It's a beautiful blend of chicken stock, a lemon and egg sauce, and rice. Today's soup is Avgolemono's bastard child, Avgole-nono. It was born of a desire to elevate a chicken veggie soup and a lazy resistance to making rice.

Ingredients
Chicken stock (I didn't measure because I made it from scratch, I think about 8 cups)
2 cups chicken, chopped
6 carrots, washed and chopped (not peeled)
4 stalks celery, chopped
1.5 cups orzo
2 eggs
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 1 lemon
dill
kosher salt
white pepper

Stock from scratch - carcass, one onion sliced in half with skin on, celery flakes, kosher salt

Directions
Boil stock, carrots and celery. Add a bit of kosher salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add orzo and chicken and bring to a boil again. Boil 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 30 minutes.

When you put the orzo in, crack two eggs in a bowl and set aside. After the soup has been sitting for 30 minutes, beat eggs until frothy. Add juice of lemons. Get a ladle full of broth and add slowly to egg and lemon mixture to temper it, mixing constantly. Stir sauce into soup, add zest of one lemon, and turn heat back on, stirring frequently to incorporate. Add some more kosher salt and dill to taste.

The egg lemon mixture elevates it a little, making it smooth and lovely.

Soup tip: if your rice or pasta in a soup sucks up all of your liquid, you can always add more stock at the end - rice and pasta tend to absorb it so there are plenty of times a day or two after I make it I'm adding more stock! 

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Haikuesday

Smooth, velvety soup.
Similar to blue suede shoes?
Elvis would approve.

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