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Fast & Easy Dinner: Greek Lemon and Orzo Soup

partysugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:45:03 -0800

Looking for a comforting new soup to introduce to your family? Take them to Greece with this variation of avgolemono, the classic Greek soup made with chicken broth, eggs, and lemon juice.

Traditionally rice is added to thicken the soup, but this recipe calls for orzo. The consistency is rich and the flavors clean and soothing. To learn the effortless technique, read more.

Greek Lemon and Orzo Soup
From Every Day With Rachael Ray

Ingredients

64 ounces (8 cups) chicken broth
One 2-inch strip lemon peel and juice of 1 large lemon
1 bay leaf
Pinch saffron or saffron powder
1/2 cup orzo
2 large eggs plus 3 large yolks
2 drops hot sauce
Flat-leaf parsley, chopped (a couple of generous handfuls)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pita chips (any flavor), optional for serving

Directions

In a soup pot, bring the broth, lemon peel, bay leaf and saffron to a boil. Stir in the orzo and boil for 5 minutes.
Cover, remove the pan from the heat and let the orzo steep for 5 minutes. Discard the lemon peel and bay leaf.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks, lemon juice and hot sauce.
Whisk in 1/2 cup soup to temper the eggs, then whisk the egg mixture into the soup. Cook on low heat, whisking, for 5 minutes.
Stir in the parsley; season with salt and pepper. If desired serve with pita chips.

Serves 4.

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Monday's Leftovers: Chicken Breast With Avgolemono Sauce

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 06:45:02 -0800

One of my favorite soups of all time is avgolemono, a traditional Greek soup made of lemon, chicken, and eggs. I love it so much that even when I'm not in the mood for steaming-hot soup, I'll still search for something else (like a pasta) that incorporates the same creamy, tangy flavors.

This chicken, plated with orzo, carrots, and avgolemono sauce, is exactly the type of recipe I'd turn to. Serve it if you've got a leftover bird and are seeking a contemporary take on an everyday protein. To make this fuss-free meal, read more.

Chicken Breast With Avgolemono Sauce
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 pounds in all)
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 1/2 cups orzo
4 carrots, quartered and cut into 2-inch lengths
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken breasts with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and add to the pan. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
Turn the chicken; add the broth, dill, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is just done, about 4 minutes.
Remove the chicken and cover lightly with aluminum foil to keep warm. Set aside the pan with the broth.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orzo for 6 minutes.
Add the carrots and continue cooking until the orzo and carrots are just done, about 6 minutes longer.
Drain and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
In a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, beat the eggs, lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper until frothy.
Bring the chicken broth back to a simmer and add to the eggs in a thin stream, whisking. Pour the mixture back into the pan and whisk over the lowest possible heat until the sauce begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Do not let the sauce come to a simmer, or it may curdle.
Put the orzo and carrots on plates and top with the chicken and sauce.

Serves 4.

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Must-Read: Williams-Sonoma Soup

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:15:48 -0700

Although I've always been a fan of eating soup year-round, now that the weather has cooled down a bit, soup is a regular part of my meal rotation. That was my logic behind acquiring Williams-Sonoma Soup ($16.95). To see my thoughts on the cookbook, read more.

Pros:

Ingredient measurements include other measuring system equivalents: A recipe calling for dried black beans, specifies that 2 cups equals 14 ounces or 440 grams.
In addition to a full-page picture, each recipe contains an added bonus: a tip with a corresponding picture, pertaining to the recipe.
The back of the book has helpful information like stock recipes, basics of making soup, garnish options, a glossary, and an index.

Cons:

The recipes are written in paragraph form, but could have been written in easier-to-follow steps.
Helpful details such as cooking time or nutritional facts would have made a big difference.

Recipes: Some of the recipes call for gourmet ingredients that one may not typically have on hand, such as kombu seaweed flakes, tawny Port, or Thai red curry paste. I flagged the following recipes to make at home:

Classics - New England Clam Chowder
Simple Soups - Puree of Vegetable Soup, Broccoli-Leek Soup
Dinner Party Soups - Three-Mushroom Soup With Sherry, Mussels Mariniere
Winter Soups - Black Bean Soup With Salsa Crema, Provence-Style Fish Stew
Chicken Soups - Avgolemono, Thai-Style Curried Chicken Soup

Imagery: The images are abundant and appetizing.

Overall Rating: I'm a huge fan of this book, which contains lots of staple soup recipes. If you're already a soup whiz with an expansive recipe collection, this book may not be for you, but if you're on the market for a soup cookbook, this affordable book could just be the one. Have you checked it out yet?