Friday 29 May 2015

FOOD FRIDAY - EGG & LEMON SOUP

“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.” - Ludwig van Beethoven

As winter approaches and the various bugs start lurking around waiting to wreak havoc with our health, it’s important to realise that there are some great foods that boost immunity. Carnosine, a compound found in chicken soup helps the body’s immune system to fight the early stages of flu, research has found.

Here is a traditional Greek recipe, combining the immune-boosting benefits of chicken soup with the rich protein of eggs and the vitamin C-packed goodness of lemons. Besides which, it tastes great too!

EGG AND LEMON SOUP (AVGOLÉMONO)
Ingredients
2 chicken carcasses
1 bunch of celery
1 carrot
2 onions
Salt, pepper, bay leaf, few sprigs of parsley
Chicken Broth from boiled chicken carcasses
2 tablespoons of rice (optional)
2-4 eggs
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoonful plain flour

Method
Obtain the chicken carcasses from your poultry dealer. They have these on hand after filleting chickens. You may also use chicken wings, necks, giblets or cheap cuts of chicken. Break up the carcasses into a few pieces and place in a large saucepan. Wash and clean the celery and chop up roughly, adding it to the pot. Do the same for the carrot and the onions. Add the seasonings and herbs. Cover with water and boil for a couple of hours, adding more water when needed. Once the broth is ready, strain it through a double thickness of muslin cloth and discard the carcasses and vegetables.

Using eggs and lemon is the most usual way for making a typical Greek soup. To make the soup, use 2 or 3 eggs, or only egg yolks (four of them). The most sensitive part of an egg is the white, because it cooks much more rapidly than egg yolks. This is why some cooks use only the yolks. My mother uses the whole egg. Have your ingredients on hand when you are ready to make the soup.

If you are using the rice (my mother doesn’t!), boil it in the chicken broth until it is tender.  Remove the broth from the flame and let it stand. Mix the flour into the lemon juice, ensuring there are no lumps. Beat the eggs in a pyrex bowl, adding the lemon juice little by little, while beating with a whisk. Take one ladleful of broth from the soup and add slowly to the egg and lemon mixture, beating all the while (good to have two people doing this, one beating the other adding the broth). Once enough broth has been added to heat thoroughly the egg and lemon mixture, gradually pour the egg mixture into the soup, stirring constantly. 

Serve immediately garnishing with lemon slices and some chopped parsley.

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1 comment:

  1. Oh, I've had this type of soup before and it's lovely! Thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete