Greek Egg-Lemon-Rice Soup.

When I had my annual New Year's Day Soup Party, I promised Sean I would post this recipe as soon as I finished featuring phase one recipes for two weeks. For the party I made five tasty soups, but this was the favorite hands down.

Avgolemono Soup (Egg-Lemon-Rice Soup) has been one of my favorites for years. This year was the first time I got brave enough to not be intimidated by the Avgolemono sauce that you mix into the soup to thicken it - a mixture of beaten eggs, fresh lemon juice, and hot soup. (Thanks Georgette!) The eggs thicken immediately when you add the hot soup, and then the "sauce" mixture is gently stirred back into the rest of the soup. You must be careful not to let the soup boil after it's been added or it will curdle.

I made this with Uncle Ben's Converted Rice, considered a "good" carb on the South Beach Diet because something in the converting process lowers the glycemic index of the rice. Also, in four generous servings of soup, there's only 1/2 cup of rice. I made a few changes in the recipe to add a bit of chicken and some dried parsley. The idea of adding the grated lemon peel came from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines, which is a great book. The soup was truly delicious.

Egg-Lemon-Rice Soup (Avgolemono Soup)

(4-6 servings)
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
6 cups water or chicken stock
1 T chicken soup base (if cooking thighs in water)
1 T dried parsley
1 tsp. dried onions
1/2 cup Uncle Ben's Converted Rice (not instant)
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest (grated lemon rind)

Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken thighs, then cook in water with chicken soup base added (or use homemade chicken stock if you have some) until cooked through. Remove thighs to cool, and strain liquid.

Put liquid back in pan and cook until reduced to 5 cups. Cut chicken into very small pieces and add to liquid with parsley, onions, and Uncle Ben's Rice. Cook over low heat until rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes.

Beat eggs with whisk until they are starting to get frothy. Then whisk in lemon juice and lemon zest. Remove one cup of hot broth from the soup, and whisk 1/2 cup and then another 1/2 cup into the egg mixture, beating well between each addition. Whisk this mixture into the big pot of soup (be sure the temperature is very low) and let the soup heat gently. DO NOT BOIL after the egg-lemon mixture has been added. This soup cannot be frozen and must be reheated carefully or the eggs will curdle the broth.