Avgolemono

No, more than that…stop lying to yourself. 

You have been stuffing yourself silly, haven’t you. You have been eating maple muffins, tamale pie and fig pizza nonstop. And, I will admit…it’s kind of my fault. I’m the one posting all these recipes, after all. But I want you to live a long, healthy life(so you can continue to read my blog). And, also…I’m at that point where I need to get bigger pants. I need a little detox action. And the perfect way to do this is with some Avgolemono. This Greek chicken soup recipe is so much more than plain old chicken soup. It’s incredibly tart, with plump orzo and rich chicken broth. I add cannellini beans and cayenne pepper to make this fully flavored soup, and though it takes awhile, it is incredibly easy to make. 

8 Cups boxed chicken stock

6-8 Chicken wings

1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 Bunch celery, roughly chopped

2 Carrots, roughly chopped
2 Whole cloves of garlic, peeled
1 Bunch oregano (on the stem) washed

Juice of 7 lemons

1 Can cannellini beans

1Cup orzo

4 Eggs, separated

Olive oil, in which to saute

Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

1) In a large pot, saute the vegetables and red pepper flakes in a small amount of olive oil until translucent.

2) Add the chicken stock

 and throw in the chicken wings.

3) Cover the pot and boil it for at least 1 hour – the longer the better. The reason you use chicken wings is to release the collagen from the fatty, cartilage-y chicken wings into the broth, making it rich and gelled. Taste the soup when you are done boiling it and add salt or pepper as needed. It shouldn’t be insanely spicy – just gently zesty.

4) Using a slotted spoon or a colander, strain the soup so all the veggies and chicken are out of the soup, and toss the veggies. You can toss the chicken or shred the meat to use in the soup. 

5) Add the orzo to the soup and simmer until it is al dente, about 20 minutes.

6) While the orzo simmers, beat the whites until they are at medium stiffness…

then add the yolks

and the lemon juice to the whites.

Be sure to incorporate the yolks and juice gently so they don’t deflate the whites.

7) With a ladle, take a bit of the broth and put it in the bowl with the egg and lemon mixture, whisking the mixture furiously the whole time.

8) Add the egg mixture to the soup.

9) Taste for seasonings again and adjust according to your preferences, add add the cannellini beans. 

This is so delicious. Incredibly bright yet also rich with that fortified chicken stock. It is deceptively creamy and decadent feeling, though there is no butter or cream in here. It has the texture of Turkey Tetrazzini and the bright zing of lemon with firm cannellini beans and a kick from the cayenne pepper. Serve this with a Greek or Cucumber Salad for the ultimate indulgence.

Well, the ultimate sinless indulgence, that is.