Avgolemono - Easy, Fast, Filling, Tasty

Two of which a prospective date should be. Unless you're a zombie/vampire/cannibal and then you might be looking for all four in a potential mate. But I digress...

On a Sunday afternoon while doing laundry and other domestic things, I found myself full of a fearsome hunger. We've been cleaning the freezer (salmon will be smoked tonight!), and I've been rotating stock. Dinner tonight is falafel, because I have garbanzos/ceci/chickpeas that need used. But I digress again.

Avgolemono is a great soup to whip up on a busy afternoon. If you have homemade stock and lemons on hand - Yay! If you have canned stock and lemon/lime simulcra on hand - Yay!

Avgolemono

1 large can low-salt Chicken Broth or 1.5 qts Chicken Stock
1.5 C leftover rice/1 C uncooked rice/1 C uncooked orzo/stars/other itty bitty pasta
2 eggs
3 T lemon or lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Put your stock in a medium sized pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. If using uncooked rice or pasta, add and cook as appropriate. If using cooked rice, toss it in and go to the next step.

In a bowl or a measuring cup or some other appropriate container whisk together the eggs and lemon juice. Slowly pour in 2 cups of hot broth, 1 cup at a time, whisking as you add. This tempers the egg and keeps it from being cooked immediately when added to the soup. If you mess this up and end up with something more like Egg Drop rather than a cream soup, that's ok. It still tastes good, and I won't report you to the food police. Add the tempered egg mixture back into the simmering pot of broth and starch, stirring all the while. Bring up to temperature, the egg will thicken the soup. Salt and pepper to taste before serving. I usually only add pepper, as the soup doesn't seem to need any salt flavoring.