Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Difficult Name; Easy Preparation

I had never heard of avgolemono until one of my Culinistas™ mentioned making it for a new client. The name was impossible—pronounced ave-go-lem-on-oh. So I reasoned that, even if the prep was complicated, it must be easier than the name: enough basis to test the recipe for me!!

To my delight, I was right. The recipe is simple to prepare and provides the soothing subtle character of a classic chicken soup while simultaneously impressing the savvy sipper with a burst of citrus and egg.

Martha Stewart’s Avgolemono Soup
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups uncooked orzo
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (4 lemons)

1. In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups stock to a boil. Add orzo; cook until al dente, 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
2. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 cup water. Heat remaining 2 cups stock until hot; do not boil.
3. In an electric mixer, beat eggs with whisk until fluffy; add cornstarch mixture and lemon juice. With mixer on medium-low speed, slowly add 1 to 2 cups hot stock until incorporated and mixture thickens slightly. Add any remaining stock to orzo.
4. Over low heat, slowly add egg mixture to orzo, stirring constantly until thickened and creamy. Do not let it come to a boil; eggs will curdle. Serve immediately—serves 8.

My Larousse Gastronomique described the uncomplicated Greek soup dually as a sauce. The more I thought about it, the more I liked this idea. I left out the orzo, made some spaghetti, and adorned it with the eggy broth. Evgefstos!

And, as it turns out, the name isn’t so difficult once it’s broken down. Avgo means egg and lemono takes care of the lemon in this delicious and adaptable concoction!

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