Augolemono, which translates to egg & lemon, is one of the staples
of Greek cuisine—which is also why I decided to feature it as my first Greek
recipe.
Before I get into the actual recipe, I just want to summarise
a few basic qualities of Greek cuisine. Firstly, Greek food often makes use of a few basic ingredients: olive oil, lemon,
garlic, olives, cheese, various legumes, wine, grains, honey etc. Secondly, Greek
cuisine does have regional differences. Since my family comes from one of the
Ionian islands, my recipe of Augolemono, for example, may have some slight
variations to the same dish in another part of the country. I would also like to point out that due to the
long-time Venetian rule of the Ionian islands, there are some obvious Italian
influences in the traditional dishes.
Back to augolemono. Now, there are many different ways to
eat this soup. When my sister and I were young, my mom would blend the chicken
and vegetables in the soup—not that we were picky eaters or anything, but
obviously as children, it was easier to feed us a blended version of the soup. When
we grew older, we would eat the chicken and vegetables first—mainly because we
were too impatient to wait for the soup to finish. Nowadays, I prefer to cut
the chicken and vegetables into pieces, and incorporate them in the soup—this step
is optional, as I have clearly pointed out in the recipe.
For this recipe, I decided to use the legs, wings, and spine
of the chicken (bones always make a better broth), saving the breasts for
another dish. Also, feel free to use as many or as little vegetables
as you want—you aren’t obligated to use what I did, and I promise the soup will
still be delicious. Finally, I used basmati rice (I didn’t have any
long-grain), but you can also use orzo if you so choose.
Augolemono Soup
Cooking Time: 1hr 30 mins
Ingredients:
3 medium Carrots
2 large Potatoes
2 stalks of Celery
½ of a medium Chicken
2 large Eggs
2 Lemons, juice of
Salt & Pepper to taste
½ to ¾ cup Long-grain White Rice (I used Basmati), depending
on how thick you want your soup to be
Method:
1. Add your chicken and vegetables in a large pot. Fill the
pot with enough water to cover your ingredients, sprinkle in some salt, and
bring to a boil. As your chicken cooks, it will release impurities—skim them
with a wire mesh ladle.
chop vegetables |
3. When your vegetables are tender, about 30 mins, remove
them from the pot, place them in a platter to cool, and continue to cook the
chicken on Med/Low heat. Your chicken should continue to cook until the meat
can easily pull away from the bones (another 20-30 mins).
my kitchen was really steamy at this point, hence the distortion in colour |
4. Remove the chicken from the pot, and place it in the same
platter as the vegetables. Let cool. Skim the rest of the broth to make sure
all impurities/bones are removed.
5. Bring your broth to a boil, add your rice, and season
with salt and pepper. Cook until rice is tender (15-20 mins). Remove from heat
and allow to cool.
6. Optional Step:
While your rice is cooking, chop your vegetables into small pieces and shred
your chicken (make sure to remove all of the skin and bones). DO NOT do this if your chicken is still hot.
You will burn your fingers.
7. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and lemon juice until
foamy. Gradually whisk in ONLY your broth, excluding the rice, ladle by ladle,
until all your broth is incorporated. OK this part is tricky because you really DON’T want your
soup to curdle. The way I avoid this from happening is by waiting for my soup
to slightly cool, making sure my eggs/lemons are room temperature, and combining
my broth with the egg/lemon mixture VERY slowly. I also use a hand mixer for
this process because I get really tired if I whisk it by hand (not that it’s
not doable). If you are rushing, I suggest adding a bit of cold water to your
pot, just so it can cool quickly, and then proceeding with the rest of the
steps—at your own risk.
mixture should remain frothy as you are combining the lemon/egg with the broth |
this is what the end result should look like |
8. Once your soup is combined,
pour the contents back into your pot whilst continually stirring. Season to
taste. Now you can either put the lid back on your pot and leave it for a few
minutes, or spoon out to your bowls right away.
9. Optional step: remember the vegetables/chicken? It is at this point
that I re-introduce them to the pot. Ladle into a boil, sprinkle some pepper and Enjoy!
Great!
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