Pasta e Fagioli literally means pasta with beans, so in that sense that's exactly what this is. If you came here looking for the Olive Garden soup, you've come to the wrong website. This is pretty amazing, though. I took all the basic ingredients of standard Italian pasta e fagioli and swapped them with things I had on hand. Doing this, I was able to make eight servings for less than two dollars. Even having to buy some of the things I already had on hand, minus the spices, you'd spend less than four dollars. Did I mention this is a great recipe?
INGREDIENTS:
4 Tbsp. butter
1 small red onion, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1 can (5 oz.) great northern beans, flavored with sausage
1 pkg (12 oz.) extra wide egg noodles
1 pkg (0.87 oz.) brown gravy mix
8 cups water
Red pepper flakes, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large skillet. Cook onion, garlic, and herbs until onion is translucent. Add in beans (juice and all) and mix well. Pour in pasta and water, then sprinkle over red pepper flakes and gravy mix, stirring gently until combined. Taste the sauce. If it's too salty add a little bit of sugar to balance it out, but not so much that you can taste the sweetness. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until noodles are cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
That's it. Less than half an hour from beginning to end and less than four dollars out of your budget. You'll notice I took out the tomato base because tomatoes give me wicked heartburn. Next time I may add sliced sausage or diced carrots just for a little more texture. All in all, though, it's one of my favorite things I've made in a while. Now, go forth and eat. :-)
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Agave Kumquat Chicken
This is my "healthier" take on Honey Orange Chicken. And by "healthier" I mean I made it in a pressure cooker instead of deep frying it. Still, I think it tastes pretty good.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Cut kumquats on the diagonal. Roughly chop tarragon. Place both in base of a pressure cooker. Dice the chicken into bite-sized chunks, then place over kumquats. Pour in stock and water. Drizzle agave over chicken, then splash with enough hot sauce to thinly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Pressure cook according to your manufacturer's directions.
Drain juices into a pot and bring to a boil for ten minutes, or until it begins to reduce in volume. Create a paste with cornstarch and a little bit of juice, then whisk into pot. Bring back to a low boil, then simmer for several minutes until thickened slightly. Allow to cool just a bit until it thickens some more, then pour over chicken and kumquats. Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds. Serve with steamed brown rice and a little bit of fish sauce.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces kumquats
- 1/4 fresh tarragon
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock, low sodium
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 ounce light agave nectar
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Louisiana hot sauce
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
- toasted sesame seeds, optional
Directions:
Cut kumquats on the diagonal. Roughly chop tarragon. Place both in base of a pressure cooker. Dice the chicken into bite-sized chunks, then place over kumquats. Pour in stock and water. Drizzle agave over chicken, then splash with enough hot sauce to thinly coat. Season with salt and pepper. Pressure cook according to your manufacturer's directions.
Drain juices into a pot and bring to a boil for ten minutes, or until it begins to reduce in volume. Create a paste with cornstarch and a little bit of juice, then whisk into pot. Bring back to a low boil, then simmer for several minutes until thickened slightly. Allow to cool just a bit until it thickens some more, then pour over chicken and kumquats. Sprinkle chicken with sesame seeds. Serve with steamed brown rice and a little bit of fish sauce.
7 Minute Avgolemono Ramen
Last year I posted my recipe for Avgolemono Soup -- that is, Greek Chicken Noodle Soup -- because I had a hard time finding the canned version that I loved and my recipe was pretty good if time-consuming. But today I bring you the lazy (wo)man's version: Now with 100% more ramen!
Ingredients:
1 pkg. chicken ramen
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
Directions:
Put dry ramen noodles into a bowl and cover with enough water to just barely cover the ramen. The ramen will float to the top, but make sure it's enough to cover it when pushed down. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes. Break up noodles and stir with a fork. Microwave for an additional 3 minutes. Beat the egg yolk with lemon juice and olive oil. When ramen is done, pour a little bit of the hot water into the egg mixture and combine thoroughly. Gently pour the egg mixture into the ramen. Sprinkle on chicken flavoring and stir well.
Is it exactly like Avgolemono? No. But it will satisfy a craving for something both savory and tangy in under 10 minutes!
Next time I'll bring you my famous Champagne Ice Cream. :)
Drunken Seafood Linguine
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
A few years ago I did my very first food spread. My ex's mother (HI, MRS. DENISE!) wrote me and told me that the local magazine was looking for a creative local cook. How could I resist? I emailed the editor and a few phone calls later I was producing my very first recipe spread. We've done three now, with a fourth in the planning stages and a few recipes thrown into a Christmas issue, but the first will always be my favorite. It was food made with champagne and wine, and I made the cover:
One of the many dishes I created for the magazine was "Pasta Divina" -- shrimp fettuccine tossed in a creamy mascarpone-champagne sauce. This time I wanted to go a little lighter, a little bubblier, and a little cheaper. I procured seafood one week on BOGO at Publix, and I had most of a bottle of bubbly left from my Christmas ham (also another recipe from this magazine), plus I had stocked up on pasta from a previous week's BOGO, so we were nearly good to go. New Year's Eve seemed like the perfect time to try it out. We'd finally finished off the ham (note to self: 8 lbs is too big for four people), so it was time to ring in the new year with our favorite meal: PASTA.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb. dry linguine
- 1 lb. fresh mussels
- 1/2 lb. large shrimp, shelled
- 1 large shallot, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 c. brut champagne
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1 large lemon
- fresh parsley
DIRECTIONS:
In a large pan (not pot) which has a lid, melt the butter. Finely slice the shallot and mince the garlic, then saute in melted butter along with garlic salt and white pepper. Pour over champagne and reduce by a third, stirring frequently. Place mussels in the champagne sauce and cover. Steam for 5 - 10 minutes. Toss in the shrimp and leave pot uncovered to cook. In the meantime, boil the linguine noodles to just ever so infinitesimally before they are done. Drain pasta and pour over seafood. Stir so that the pasta can evenly soak up the champagne sauce and finish cooking, and also to distribute and expose the seafood. Chop parsley and sprinkle over pasta before serving. Garnish each serving with lemon slices.
Cheers to you and yours! May 2014 be everything you dream it will be. :-)
Fourth Quarter Cake
This cake (as many of my cakes are) was made for my husband's homebrew club meeting, more specifically their fourth quarter meeting. It was based around one of the few beers I will actually drink: Blue Moon, though I was informed (loudly but politely) that Blue Moon isn't real beer and the proper name for the cake is a Hoegaarden Cake. Despite the name, this is a non-alcoholic cake that can be served year round. It has the simple honesty of yellow cake, chiffoned for lightness and brightened by a hint of citrus. Even picky eaters love it!
This cake was adapted from smitten kitchen's Best Birthday Cake recipe.
Ingredients:
2 large oranges, zested*
1 tsp. coriander, powdered
4 2/3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. + 1 pinch salt
18 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 large eggs
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
white chocolate curls
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 9-inch pans. Put a metal mixing bowl in the freezer. Bring butter, eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Mix in powdered coriander and the zest of both oranges. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Separate your eggs. Add yolks one at a time to butter, scraping down bowl after every egg. Slowly add in buttermilk just until combined. Don't worry if it looks curdled. In sections of three or more, carefully add in the dry ingredients, again scraping down the bowl after every addition.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Carefully fold egg whites into batter, one third at a time, until no streaks remain.
Divide batter evenly among pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch. Invert layers onto parchment paper to cool.
Remove mixing bowl from the freezer. Pour in the whipping cream and beat until it thickens and begins to leave ribbons behind. Sprinkle in powdered sugar and continue beating just until cream holds peaks. Level each layer and assemble with thickly layered whipped cream icing. Decorate top with a sprinkling of orange zest and white chocolate curls.
* NOTE: The orange flavor continues to develop over time. If you aren't going to serve the cake for a day or two, cut back the orange to only one tablespoon of zest.
This cake was adapted from smitten kitchen's Best Birthday Cake recipe.
Ingredients:
2 large oranges, zested*
1 tsp. coriander, powdered
4 2/3 cups cake flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. + 1 pinch salt
18 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 large eggs
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
white chocolate curls
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 9-inch pans. Put a metal mixing bowl in the freezer. Bring butter, eggs, and buttermilk to room temperature.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Carefully fold egg whites into batter, one third at a time, until no streaks remain.
Divide batter evenly among pans and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch. Invert layers onto parchment paper to cool.
Lemon Layer Cake
It's pretty frustrating when you know you want to make a cake, but the recipes out there are all for a different kind of cake. When you search for lemon cake recipes, you'll inevitably come up with a ton of pound cakes, loaf cakes, sheet cakes, icebox cakes, gooey bars, and even a cocktail or two. The layer cakes I found were generally referred to in the comments as "dense" and that wasn't something I wanted either. However, as usual, I waited until the day before and didn't have time to experiment. That being said, I found a recipe that looked like it would take the minimum amount of tweaking and ran with it.
2 cups sugar
1 large lemon
4 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can lemon pie filling
frosting of choice
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Zest the lemon and add into a mixer with butter and sugar. Cream the butter mixture. Add one egg at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Squeeze the lemon. In a small cup, mix together two (2) tablespoons of lemon juice, the vanilla, and the buttermilk.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture.
Add 1/2 the buttermilk.
Add 1/2 the remaining flour mixture.
Add all of the remaining buttermilk.
Add all of the remaining flour mixture.
Remember to scrape down the bowl between each addition. Mix just until incorporated so that the cake doesn't get tough. Pour into the prepared pans. Spread the mixture evenly, then rap each pan on the counter several times to release any air bubbles.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. You may need to rotate your pans a time or two throughout for even cooking. My new oven gets quite hot at the back and would have overcooked one of the layers if I hadn't been paying attention.
Place the layers in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, or until cool. Dollop half of the lemon filling onto the first layer and smooth it out the best you can, all the way to the edges. Place the second layer and repeat. Place the third layer on top and use part of the icing to create a crumb coat. Put the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so, just until the frosting begins to set up but is still tacky. Finish icing and decorating the cake. Put in a cake box or the like and store in the refrigerator until and hour or so before time to eat (to take the chill off).
I was running behind, so I used "whipped" buttercream frosting from a can for the outside. It was still delicious and very easy, but I'll be posting how to make both real lemon curd and, as previously mentioned, Swiss meringue icing, which would have been best (in my opinion) for the exterior.
DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE CARD
My source's source called the (now twice altered) recipe a "Robert E. Lee Cake." I'm not sure why. As an historian it interests me, though you might think it's silly. Did he have a particular predilection for lemons? Perhaps it was a Yankee slur in regards to the cake's color. Either way, it's pretty delicious! I'll probably post another version at some point and call it a "Southern Lady Cake" because I want to make it a chiffon and perhaps add another fruit (coconut, maybe?) as well as Swiss meringue for the frosting.
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter2 cups sugar
1 large lemon
4 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can lemon pie filling
frosting of choice
Directions:
Bring butter, eggs, lemon, and buttermilk to room temperature.Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, sift and whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Zest the lemon and add into a mixer with butter and sugar. Cream the butter mixture. Add one egg at a time, beating until each is incorporated. Squeeze the lemon. In a small cup, mix together two (2) tablespoons of lemon juice, the vanilla, and the buttermilk.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture.
Add 1/2 the buttermilk.
Add 1/2 the remaining flour mixture.
Add all of the remaining buttermilk.
Add all of the remaining flour mixture.
Remember to scrape down the bowl between each addition. Mix just until incorporated so that the cake doesn't get tough. Pour into the prepared pans. Spread the mixture evenly, then rap each pan on the counter several times to release any air bubbles.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean. You may need to rotate your pans a time or two throughout for even cooking. My new oven gets quite hot at the back and would have overcooked one of the layers if I hadn't been paying attention.
Place the layers in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, or until cool. Dollop half of the lemon filling onto the first layer and smooth it out the best you can, all the way to the edges. Place the second layer and repeat. Place the third layer on top and use part of the icing to create a crumb coat. Put the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so, just until the frosting begins to set up but is still tacky. Finish icing and decorating the cake. Put in a cake box or the like and store in the refrigerator until and hour or so before time to eat (to take the chill off).
I was running behind, so I used "whipped" buttercream frosting from a can for the outside. It was still delicious and very easy, but I'll be posting how to make both real lemon curd and, as previously mentioned, Swiss meringue icing, which would have been best (in my opinion) for the exterior.
DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE CARD
Ultra-Fudge Brownies
What better way to celebrate moving into a new house than by baking brownies? This is my super-special, ultra-fudge brownie recipe. Everyone tells me that my recipes are awesome, but this is my favorite. It's the most chocolatiest, yummiest, nummiest brownie you'll ever eat, but it's so rich that you'll probably only eat one. I put most of the ingredients together in layered jars for Christmas gifts in 2011, and they went over really well. At the bottom of the post I'll explain how.
You'll Need:
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. If you have a problem with baked goods sticking, dust the grease with a little bit of cocoa powder.
Whisk together the eggs, salt, both sugars, and vanilla. In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter on medium power. Check every 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a bain-marie (double boiler), but this is faster. Once the chocolate is smooth, slowly add it to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Be careful not to let the heat of the chocolate turn everything into scrambled eggs! Dust in the cocoa powder and continue stirring. Do the same with the flour until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and beat against a solid surface to release air bubbles and settle brownie mix. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
To make this into a gift, first procure a 1-quart mason jar and a pretty square of fabric that is at least 2 inches longer in each direction than the diameter of your lid. Into the CLEAN jar, carefully spoon the flour. On top of that -- in order -- spoon: Cocoa powder, white sugar, and brown sugar. Pack everything down as needed between layers. Drizzle the vanilla on top of the brown sugar. If you have room (I didn't) put the chocolate on top of that and seal the jar with the fabric trapped between the lid and the rim. If you don't have room for the chocolate, wrap it tightly in saran wrap and then place it in a pretty mesh or organza bag that can hang from the neck of the jar. Include instructions that specify the need for eggs and butter.
DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE CARD!
DOWNLOAD THE GIFT CARD!
Print the recipe card on a 4" x 6" unlined index card. Print the gift card double-sided on a 3" x 5" unlined index card. Or use pretty cardstock of similar dimensions.
You'll Need:
- 1 cup butter, unsalted
- 9 ounces dark chocolate
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup white (caster) sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch pan. If you have a problem with baked goods sticking, dust the grease with a little bit of cocoa powder.
Whisk together the eggs, salt, both sugars, and vanilla. In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter on medium power. Check every 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a bain-marie (double boiler), but this is faster. Once the chocolate is smooth, slowly add it to the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Be careful not to let the heat of the chocolate turn everything into scrambled eggs! Dust in the cocoa powder and continue stirring. Do the same with the flour until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and beat against a solid surface to release air bubbles and settle brownie mix. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
To make this into a gift, first procure a 1-quart mason jar and a pretty square of fabric that is at least 2 inches longer in each direction than the diameter of your lid. Into the CLEAN jar, carefully spoon the flour. On top of that -- in order -- spoon: Cocoa powder, white sugar, and brown sugar. Pack everything down as needed between layers. Drizzle the vanilla on top of the brown sugar. If you have room (I didn't) put the chocolate on top of that and seal the jar with the fabric trapped between the lid and the rim. If you don't have room for the chocolate, wrap it tightly in saran wrap and then place it in a pretty mesh or organza bag that can hang from the neck of the jar. Include instructions that specify the need for eggs and butter.
DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE CARD!
DOWNLOAD THE GIFT CARD!
Print the recipe card on a 4" x 6" unlined index card. Print the gift card double-sided on a 3" x 5" unlined index card. Or use pretty cardstock of similar dimensions.
Brown Butter Banana Bread
My mother had some bananas she'd forgotten about and was about to throw them out. They were black, and the skin gave just by the pressure of holding them. The aroma coming off of them was so banana it was almost artificial. But in the back of my mind I remembered something Alton Brown said once. He talked about how for banana nut bread you needed very, VERY ripe bananas -- basically anything short of fuzzy. I snatched them up and toted them home with me.
And then they sat on my counter for another three days as I insisted I was going to make bread. I think by yesterday even my stalwart John was becoming skeptical they'd end up as anything but garbage.
But today, fighting a broken A/C, waiting on the trim man again, unpacking more boxes, I stopped and said, "I am going to make that bread."
((You may also hear me refer to this as Minion Bread because I'm slightly obsessed with Despicable Me. I'm so excited: They're making a Minions Movie for release next Christmas!!))
Set the eggs out on the counter and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Once completely melted, stir gently but constantly until foam begins to turn a deeper golden-tan color but not actually brown. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to stop the cooking process. I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures of this part, but a fabulous explanation of the process can be found HERE. Allow the butter to cool.
Mash the bananas and the sugar together until almost a liquid.
Crack the eggs into the cooled butter and whisk together with salt and vanilla extract.
Whisk the butter mixture into the sugar-banana goop. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add it to the wet ingredients, taking care not to over beat.
Fold in the nuts if you want them. You could put up to a full cup, though I usually prefer half a cup. Any type of nut is fine, though walnut is more traditional. Since this is usually a spur of the moment bread for me, I end up using sliced almonds a lot because I always have those on hand. Chopped pecans are great, too.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out (mostly) clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing and allowing to cool on a cookie rack.
And then they sat on my counter for another three days as I insisted I was going to make bread. I think by yesterday even my stalwart John was becoming skeptical they'd end up as anything but garbage.
But today, fighting a broken A/C, waiting on the trim man again, unpacking more boxes, I stopped and said, "I am going to make that bread."
((You may also hear me refer to this as Minion Bread because I'm slightly obsessed with Despicable Me. I'm so excited: They're making a Minions Movie for release next Christmas!!))
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 overripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
Set the eggs out on the counter and preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Once completely melted, stir gently but constantly until foam begins to turn a deeper golden-tan color but not actually brown. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to stop the cooking process. I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures of this part, but a fabulous explanation of the process can be found HERE. Allow the butter to cool.
Mash the bananas and the sugar together until almost a liquid.
Crack the eggs into the cooled butter and whisk together with salt and vanilla extract.
Whisk the butter mixture into the sugar-banana goop. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add it to the wet ingredients, taking care not to over beat.
Fold in the nuts if you want them. You could put up to a full cup, though I usually prefer half a cup. Any type of nut is fine, though walnut is more traditional. Since this is usually a spur of the moment bread for me, I end up using sliced almonds a lot because I always have those on hand. Chopped pecans are great, too.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out (mostly) clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing and allowing to cool on a cookie rack.
If you wanted to get even fancier than browned butter, replace the vanilla extract with the scraped out seeds and insides of a vanilla bean. For a nuttier flavor without the nuts, try replacing 1/2 the flour with whole wheat flour.
To download the 4x6 recipe card, CLICK HERE.
French Toast Casserole
Ingredients:
- 10 slices bread
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.Cut or tear bread into small pieces. I cut mine into nine equal cubes. I also used old, stale bread. This is the perfect way to use it up before it gets rock hard or moldy. Grease a casserole dish and toss the bread pieces in. As you can see from the picture I made two casseroles, one to eat and one to freeze.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and cinnamon. Whisk well to break up any clumps in the cinnamon and to break up the albumin of the eggs.
Pour egg mixture evenly over bread. Gently mix bread to completely coat in the mixture.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, until bread has risen and egg mixture is fully cooked.
Makes 5-6 servings.
To download the 4x6 recipe card, CLICK HERE.
Chicken Avgolemono Soup
Today as a bit of a balm for those of us mired in rain, I've decided to share my Greek Chicken Soup recipe. It's lemony and refreshing, and the broth is thickened by eggs but still thin enough to go down easy. You'll find Avgolemono Soup on the menu of many Greek restaurants, but it's so easy to make at home.
To start, you'll need:
Trim the chicken of excess fat and pull off the skin. Peel the onion. Cut the carrots, celery, and onion in half. Put the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in the water. Bring to a rapid boil, lower heat to medium, and simmer for at least an hour -- an hour and a half for larger chickens.
Remove the chicken and vegetables, then strain the broth carefully to remove all stray bits. Return the liquid to your pot and return to a boil. Pour in the orzo and cook uncovered until tender (about 10-12 minutes).
While the pasta's cooking, make the avgolemono. Beat the eggs with a whisk until frothy. Zest 1 teaspoon of skin off a lemon. Add zest and the juice of both lemons in a thin stream while constantly beating the eggs. The citric acid partially cooks the eggs while allowing them to remain liquid.
When the orzo's done, turn off the heat. Fill a small bowl with about two cups of hot broth. Slowly add the avgolemono to the broth, whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs, preparing them for the rest of the really hot broth. If you dumped it into the pot, you'd have scrambled egg soup! Once tempered, stir the lemon-egg mixture into the pot. If the soup has cooled some, heat again over low heat for about 10 minutes. Do not let the soup boil again!
Adjust your salt and pepper to taste.
Shred the chicken and chop the vegetables. Mix together and serve on the side, or save for another application. Traditionally, avgolemono soup does not have meat or veggies in it. I do like to put the carrots -- chopped extra fine -- and a little bit of the chicken back in mine, though.
You can substitute any small pasta for the orzo, but your cooking time will vary according to the package directions.
To start, you'll need:
- 3 - 4 lb. whole chicken
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 3 quarts (12 cups) water
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1/2 cup orzo
- 3 eggs
- 2 lemons
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper
Trim the chicken of excess fat and pull off the skin. Peel the onion. Cut the carrots, celery, and onion in half. Put the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper in the water. Bring to a rapid boil, lower heat to medium, and simmer for at least an hour -- an hour and a half for larger chickens.
Remove the chicken and vegetables, then strain the broth carefully to remove all stray bits. Return the liquid to your pot and return to a boil. Pour in the orzo and cook uncovered until tender (about 10-12 minutes).
While the pasta's cooking, make the avgolemono. Beat the eggs with a whisk until frothy. Zest 1 teaspoon of skin off a lemon. Add zest and the juice of both lemons in a thin stream while constantly beating the eggs. The citric acid partially cooks the eggs while allowing them to remain liquid.
When the orzo's done, turn off the heat. Fill a small bowl with about two cups of hot broth. Slowly add the avgolemono to the broth, whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs, preparing them for the rest of the really hot broth. If you dumped it into the pot, you'd have scrambled egg soup! Once tempered, stir the lemon-egg mixture into the pot. If the soup has cooled some, heat again over low heat for about 10 minutes. Do not let the soup boil again!
Adjust your salt and pepper to taste.
Shred the chicken and chop the vegetables. Mix together and serve on the side, or save for another application. Traditionally, avgolemono soup does not have meat or veggies in it. I do like to put the carrots -- chopped extra fine -- and a little bit of the chicken back in mine, though.
You can substitute any small pasta for the orzo, but your cooking time will vary according to the package directions.
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