I don’t know about you, but I’m so, so sugared out from the holidays.
Fudge. Gingerbread cookies. English toffee. Candied nuts. Ugh.
Here in this new year, I crave salads and simple soups.
Never mind that this craving just started; after I finished the last bit of caramel corn. Bad girl.
The timing of the Greek Lemon Soup is perfect for a couple of reasons.
First, it’s so low in calories it almost qualifies as diet food. I checked out a similar recipe online and learned that most Greek lemon egg soups contain only about 80 calories for about a 1-cup serving.
It’s not surprising, considering it’s a chicken-broth based soup whose main ingredients are rice (orzo), lemon and beaten eggs. (Mr. Economou said his mother wouldn’t approve, but he uses chicken boullion cubes.)
Second, when that gorgeous snowfall arrived in Igo a few days ago, I harvested all my lemons, enough for plenty of Greek lemon soup. (And an Italian lemon cake, and chocolate-covered lemon leaves, but we’re talking low-cal today, so let’s not go there.)
The point is, I’m not the only one in the north state who grows lemons. They’re abundant throughout our region now, so take advantage of them and make this soup.
Remember Mr. George Economou, my Greek friend who taught me to make baklava? (He’s also my former high school teacher, which is why I have a hard time calling him George.)
Mr. Economou also taught me to make his family’s traditional Greek Lemon Soup. It’s what he served us for lunch after we made our annual baklava. The soup balances out the sugar and fat in the baklava.
Mr. Economou refers to his Greek Lemon Soup by its proper name, Avgolemo. But he doesn’t mind when most people just refer to it as “that great lemon soup.”
No matter what you call it, it’s a really delicious, different soup. Because of the eggs added to the soup, it doesn’t reheat well. (We’ve discussed this before: eggs in hot liquid tend to go squirrely and can curdle if you’re not careful. Heat slowly.)
That’s OK. I doubt we’ll have leftovers.
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Mr. Economou’s Avgolemo
Greek Lemon Soup
6 cups chicken broth
Heat broth over medium-high heat. Add the orzo. Stir every so often, as the pasta cooks.
Now the lemon juice.
Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until they’re pale yellow. Set aside.
Now beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (not too stiff). Fold the beaten egg yolks into the beaten egg whites until well blended, being careful not to deflate the whites too much.
Gradually pour some of the hot broth mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. (This tempering lets the eggs meet the hot liquid slowly, without curdling.)
Then slowly introduce all of the egg mixture (that now has some of the chicken/lemon/orzo broth mixture) to the remainder of the hot broth, stirring constantly.
Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve immediately.
Serves about 8 to 10. (Optional: garnish with lemon slices.)
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