Avgolemono

I made this soup last night. It’s a Lemon Dill Rice and Chicken Soup that is a classic Greek soup. There are several nationalities/cultures that have a version of it…and a completely different name. Really fascinating if you research it.

But this is the one I’ve been making. It’s a soup that’s thickened with eggs, loaded with lots of rice, and flavored with lemon and dill. I’ve made it several times and it’s always a yummy soup…for winter OR summer. I highly recommend it. It’s really rather simple. Just a few extra steps…but worth it! 🙂

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Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 small carrots, finely diced
4-6 cups chicken broth (homemade really makes a difference)
2 cups cooked rice, warmed
Salt and freshly-ground pepper
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 rotisserie chicken, meat coarsely shredded
1/8 cup fresh or dried dill (again, fresh is best)

Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the diced onions, celery and carrots. Saute until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add chicken broth and bring to a boil . Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add 1/2 cup of the cooked rice, the eggs yolks, the lemon juice into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Slowly add a ladle of the broth to the egg mixture and blend well. Stir the puree you have just made into the stock, along with the chicken and the remaining 1-1/2 cups of rice. Simmer until thickened slightly, approximately 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the dill and serve.

This really is a good soup. Definitely worth your time.
And your family will thank you for it!