Avgolemono Soup

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Avgolemono soup is a Greek lemon and egg soup.   "Avga" meaning eggs in Greek and "Lemono" meaning lemon.   The eggs in this soup give it a nice thick consistency and the rice absorbs the lemon broth as days pass.   Today my amor decided that he would like to help me make this soup.  This is his and his family's soup.  I learned everything I know about it from them. 

Avgolemono Soup:

1 Fryer Chicken
1 Onion, peeled and quartered
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 Celery ribs, chopped
2 t Salt
5 C Water
1 C Chicken stock (for extra flavor)
3/4 C Rice, uncooked
4 Eggs
1/2 C Lemon juice
Salt to taste

Directions:
1.   Bring the chicken, carrots, celery, onions and 2 t. salt in a stock pot to a boil.  Once boiling skim the "scum" from the top of the stock pot and place on simmer for about 2 hours; until chicken is tender and stock is thick.  Add more water as needed to make sure chicken is covered at all times.

2.  Strain and remove the chicken; set cooked chicken aside; discard vegetables.
3.  Bring stock back to a boil and add the extra chicken stock, 5 C water and rice.  Simmer for about 15 minutes; until rice is cooked.
4.  Whip the eggs and lemon juice together in a separate bowl until frothy.
5.  Mix a small amount of the chicken soup with the egg mixture*.  Whip until smooth.  Keep whipping in a circle and adding a little more chicken soup until the egg mixture warms up and is frothy; add about 5 cups of soup. 
6.  Add the warm egg mixture back into the chicken soup; stirring constantly.  Salt to taste.
7.  Put the cut up cooked chicken on a plate for people to add to their soup and serve the soup in a bowl with extra lemons. 

Serves 6-8

Tip: * You will need to whip the egg mixture in a circle when adding the hot chicken stock.  You want the egg mixture to mix into the soup not solidify.  As long as you keep the mixture moving and add about 5 cups of chicken stock it will heat the egg mixture enough for you to incorporate it back into the soup.