Soup-AH!

This is really a tasty light soup, perfect for a summer meal, doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach which for the anniversary dinner was good considering there were still three courses to follow. By far, it was the favorite dish of the meal (or at least tied for first with the cheesecake).

Avegolemono

7 ½ cups chicken stock
½ cup orzo pasta
3 eggs
Juice of 1 large lemon
Salt and ground white pepper to taste
Lemon slices and/or lemon zest to garnish

1. Pour stock into a large and bring to a boil.
2. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes.
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl beat the eggs until frothy then add the lemon juice and 1 tbsp of cold water.
4. Start with a ladleful of the hot stock and slowly stir it into the egg mixture, repeat with additional stock until egg mixture is just above room temperature.
(FYI – the reason for bringing the egg mixture up to temperature first is so that when you add it to the large stock pot, you don’t coddle the eggs…instead you need to mollycoddle them because eggs are very delicate and persnickety that way, they need the extra attention, so don't be afraid to ladle away until they are just right!).
5. Add the egg mixture to the stock pot and turn off the heat, stir well (again, don’t boil mixture with egg in it unless you want scrambled egg soup…bleck).
6. Season with salt and white pepper to taste and serve at once, garnish with lemon slices and/or zest.

NOTES

* We added an extra dash (dash being a quick squeeze or two) of fresh lemon right before serving to give it some extra zing.

* Don’t be alarmed if the orzo still seems al dente after you cook it for 5 minutes, by the time you serve it, it will be just right!

* We actually used pre-made chicken stock since we didn’t have time to make stock ourselves. You can substitute chicken broth, but to us, it won’t have the rich, bodied flavor that chicken stock provides. If you DO decide to use broth instead of stock, be aware that you will definitely need to taste the soup before adding salt since broth is already seasoned... stock is not (though tasting before seasoning is always a good practice to get in the habit of). We found chicken stock at Whole Foods, so if you can’t find any at your regular grocery store I would suggestion checking a specialty food store. It will be well worth your while to make the extra effort to get the chicken stock, we promise!

* If you have leftover soup, it will separate after it’s been refrigerated. To reheat, put it in a pan on the stovetop over medium-low heat and using a whisk or slotted spoon, blend it back together.