Avgolemono

I'd like to start storing and sharing the recipes I love to cook. I've hesitated to do this in fear of being 'just another recipe blogger,' but have come to realize that preventing myself from sharing something that is bringing me joy is beyond silly and beyond something I should be worried about. I also found out the hard way that bookmarked webpages don't always stay active, and when I lost my favorite quiche recipe it further solidified that I should record the recipes that become favorites. 

Avgolemono is my favorite soup. Perfect for a cozy day, it is delicious, warming, and so satisfying as a main meal. I used the recipe from the Mediterranean Dish as my baseline (whose recipes I find fantastic) and then edited it slightly to suit my own tastes:

Ingredients (makes 8 servings - 
​just half everything for smaller portion!) :

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ​1 ½ or 2 chopped carrots
• ½ chopped white onion
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo
• Salt, pepper, bay leaf flakes
• 2 cooked shredded boneless
  chicken breasts (rotisserie works great)
• 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (this gives it a really lemony
  flavor - if you’re not a lemon nut like me ¾ cup is fine)
• 4 large eggs (five if the soup did not thicken enough
• Fresh parsley for garnish

​Directions: 

1. Heat tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots and onions and briefly sauté until the onions become translucent (about 5 minutes). 
2. Add the chicken broth and seasoning and bay leaf flakes (or whole bay leaf if you are using - just be sure to take it out before serving!) and raise heat to high. Once the soup has come to a rolling boil, add the orzo, a little salt, and plenty of pepper. 
3. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. While the soup is simmering, prepare the egg-lemon sauce:
   1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and eggs until foamy.
   2. While whisking, add 2 ladles-full of the broth from the cooking pot to help temper the eggs. Whisk constantly so the eggs don’t curdle. 
5. Stir the cooked chicken into the soup. 
6. Add the tempered egg-lemon sauce slowly to the chicken soup and stir.
7. Garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!

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When I served this as an appetizer for Greek Easter, I've never seen my family love something so unanimously!