Avgolemono Rice Food

AVGOLEMONO RICE

Steps:

• Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil. Season lightly with salt. Rinse the rice, and pour into boiling water, stirring well to keep grains from clumping. When the water returns to a boil, lower heat a little to a gentle boil, and cook the rice "pasta-style" until just done.
• Drain the rice through a fine-mesh colander, giving it a couple of hearty shakes to remove the last of the water. Immediately spread cooked rice out on a sheet pan lined with parchment to cool quickly. Do not pat down or pack the rice - you want it fluffy and to be able to cool and dry quickly.
• Rinse the peas under cool water briefly to remove any frosty crystals.
• Bring the lamb stock to a simmer.
• In a stainless bowl, whisk egg yolks and lemon juice together until fully incorporated.In a slow steady stream, while constantly whisking, add half the hot lamb stock into the yolks. Then whisk the egg-lemon mixture back into the remaining stock.
• Return the pot to the stove, and simmer (still whisking constantly so as not to cook the egg too fast and too hard), until the avgolemono sauce is full-bodied, approximately the consistency of buttermilk - a minute or 90 seconds more.
• Stir in the scallions, then the peas, and when they both turn bright green, turn off the heat, and stir in the rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The rice should be as soupy as risi e bisi and as creamy as risotto.

AVGOLEMONO RICE

Steps:

• Combine butter and olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add rice and stir to coat. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
• Stir in water, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes longer.
• Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for at least 5 minutes.
• Stir in Parmesan cheese, parsley, and oregano. Add whisked egg and stir until well combined, being careful not to scramble.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN SOUP AKA AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chicken breasts and then lower to a simmer. Simmer until the chicken is just cooked through and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes; remove to a bowl. Once cooled, shred the chicken and reserve.
• Add the orzo or rice to the pot with the chicken stock and cook until al dente, 5 to 8 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and most of the lemon juice, reserving some to add later as needed. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites. Once combined, ladle in some hot stock to temper the egg mixture, whisking constantly and adding the hot liquid slowly. Very slowly, add the warm whipped egg/lemon mixture into the pot, whisking constantly to prevent any curds or clumps from forming. Continue to cook over medium-low to medium heat, whisking, until the soup thickens, about 10 minutes more.
• Add the shredded chicken and any reserved juices to the soup. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and add additional lemon juice if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• Place the chicken, bay leaf and broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 1 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and let it cool.
• Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Clean out any scum in the bottom of the pot and add the broth back to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Check for seasoning here, as you may need to add a few teaspoons salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice and the flour. Whisk the eggs into the lemon mixture. Pour a little of the simmering broth slowly over the egg mixture and whisk it together. Reduce the heat under the broth to low and whisk in the egg mixture. The soup will thicken slightly and become cloudy. Make sure you don't bring the soup to a rolling boil after you add the eggs. Your eggs will scramble, which will leave you with more of an egg drop soup (which would still be fantastic, but just not the same).
• Chop up the chicken, removing the skin and bones, and add it to the soup along with the dill. Serve immediately.

SOUPA AVGOLEMONO (EGG-LEMON SOUP)

Steps:

• Bring broth to boil in saucepan, and add rice or orzo.
• Cover and cook on medium low heat for 20-25 minutes (rice) or 10 minutes (orzo).
• While the rice cooks, lightly beat the eggs and the lemon juice together.
• Remove the broth from heat.
• Slowly mix about one cup of the hot broth into egg-lemon mixture.
• Add to the soup gradually while stirring.
• Place saucepan back on the heat, and stir until soup is heated through (DO NOT BOIL).
• Serve.

AVGOLEMONO

Steps:

• 1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.
• 2. Add the orzo, rice, or pastina and cook until tender but still al dente, about 7 minutes (20, if using rice). Season with the salt and pepper and reduce heat to low; simmer.
• 3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.
• 4. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg-and-lemon mixture, then whisk to combine.
• 5. Add the mixture back to the simmering saucepan. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens as the eggs cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

GIOUVARLAKIA AVGOLEMONO (RICE MEATBALLS IN EGG-LEMON SAUCE)

Steps:

• Put bread and ground beef in a bowl, and mix and knead thoroughly.
• Add rice, parsley, celery, mint, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
• In a soup kettle, bring about 2 qt water to a furious boil.
• Keeping the water boiling, shape the meat into little round balls (about the size of walnuts) and gently drop them into the boiling water.
• Continue boiling for about 1/2 hour, and then set aside.
• Beat the whites of 3 eggs until frothy, but not stiff and shiny.
• Constantly beating, add the yolks until well mixed.
• Still beating add the lemon juice drop by drop.
• Bring butter and broth to a boil.
• Add this to the egg-lemon mixture, beating continuously.
• Place over VERY low heat, stirring in a S or X pattern (stirring round& round will cause sauce to curdle) until froth is almost broken down and sauce thickens.
• Serve hot.

AVGOLEMONO SOUP

Steps:

• Place chicken, chopped onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, and oregano in a large pot. Pour water over the top; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, skimming foam as necessary, until chicken is falling off the bone, 60 to 90 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Transfer chicken to a bowl to cool, strain all vegetables from simmering broth, discard vegetables, and return broth to the pot. Chop cooked chicken meat.
• Combine 2 cups diced onion, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a large skillet. Cook and stir onion mixture over medium heat until onion is soft, sweet, and golden, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir onion mixture into chicken broth in the pot and set over medium-low heat; add Arborio rice and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is very tender and broth flavors combine, about 45 minutes.
• Whisk eggs, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together in a bowl; whisk in lemon juice. Slowly pour 1 cup broth mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add 1 more cup of broth to egg mixture and whisk. Pour egg mixture into broth in the pot, add chopped chicken, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes more.

YOUVARLAKIA AVGOLEMONO (LEMONY GREEK MEATBALL SOUP)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, 1/4 cup dill, onion, carrot, rice, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Gently mix with your hands until well combined.
• Gently form the mixture into 24 meatballs, each about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, placing them on a plate or baking pan. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. This helps the meatballs keep their shape while cooking.
• In a large pot, bring stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and use a slotted spoon to carefully add meatballs to the pot. The broth should cover the tops of the meatballs by about 1/2 inch. If not, add a little water. Simmer gently, adjusting the heat so the broth doesn't boil, until meatballs are cooked through and rice is tender, 25 to 35 minutes. (Break open a meatball to test it.) Remove pot from heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and lemon juice until just mixed. Slowly add a ladle of warm broth to egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in another two ladles of broth to temper the egg mixture.
• Slowly drizzle the egg-lemon mixture back into the pot with the meatballs, stirring gently so you don't break apart the meatballs. Return the pot to medium-low heat until it just starts to simmer. (Wait for a bubble or two to appear, but don't let the pot boil.) The broth should be silky. Remove from heat, stir in remaining 1/2 cup dill. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. (It may need quite a bit of salt if you are starting with unsalted broth.) Garnish with nutmeg, if you like, and dill, and serve.