Greek Egg-Lemon Soup (Avgolemono)

Avgolemono Soup

(Greek Egg-Lemon Soup)

8 cups chicken stock 

(use your own homemade or you can buy good chicken stock (not broth) over the counter at your local grocery store.  I make my own, cause I like the added flavors)

1-1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta

6 egg yolks (room temperature)

16 oz heavy cream (room temperature)

5 Meyer lemons, juiced 

(should be about 1/4 c of lemon juice, but it all will vary according to your taste)

salt and cracked black pepper to taste

In a large soup pan, bring the chicken stock to a boil.  Add the orzo and cook about 8-9 minutes, until tender.  

While orzo is cooking, in a medium bowl, slightly beat the egg yolks and add cream, whisking until mixed together.  When pasta has cooked, turn off the heat.  Remove 3 c of the broth from the soup pot.  One cup at a time, SLOWLY whisk the stock into the egg/cream mixture to temper the mixture.  (This ensures that when you add the egg/cream mix to the stock, it wont curdle the cream and scramble the egg).   When all three cups have been whisked in, add the entire mix back to the soup pot.  Add your lemon juice.  Bring the mixture heat up close to a boil, BUT DO NOT BOIL.  Taste and add salt, pepper and lemon juice to your liking.  

For this recipe I added more lemon juice and about a 1/2 t of salt and fresh cracked pepper.  I also added about 1 t of fresh dill.   

If you made your own stock and you have chicken left over, add chunks of chicken to the soup for a heartier soup.  

Enjoy!