What is it about cold weather? As soon as the bus windows start to fog up or a single glitter of frost falls, I exclusively crave food that could be cooked in a cauldron.
We’re talking porridge, soups, and stews, people! My slow cooker’s been unpacked, and that pack of slightly crumbling bay leaves has been promoted to the front of the cupboard.
Of course, I love a “hearty and heavy” winter stew as much as the next person. But if you’re looking for something light, fresh, and zippy – but still comforting – it’s probably time to give avgolemono a try.
What is avgolemono?
The name, which is Greek, literally translates to “egg-lemon”. Allrecipes explains that the word describes both a soup and a sauce.
The soup, which traditionally contains chicken, rice, and (you guessed it) lemon and egg, is most associated with “avgolemono” outside of Greece.
But Serious Eats said that the term is much more versatile in its home country, where it “describes the mixture of lemon and egg alone, and not any particular dish in which it’s used”.
Once mixed together, the pair lends a creamy, silky smoothness to sauces, soups, and stews, and thickens them too – without the use of flour, eggs, or butter.
It reminds me a little of the velvety texture and sharp taste of lemon curd.
How is avgolemono made?
The basic sauce needs just three ingredients: egg yolks, lemon juice, and some broth to temper it.
For the soup, add salt and pepper, alongside some grains (like rice) and chicken, to the base and let it all cook together before whipping up the thickener.
Place your eggs and lemon juice, along with some grated garlic if you like, into a bowl and whisk them together until homogeneous.
Then, as if you’re making a liaison batter for a French meringue or, indeed, putting hot sugar into the Italian kind, you’ll need to gradually stream some of the hot stock into the cold eggs and lemon to temper it. Pour slowly, and whisk fast.
(Serious Eats argues that “One could just as easily add the lemon juice and eggs separately,” to which my fear of accidentally cooking the eggs replies, “Just because one could does not mean one should”. However, you’re welcome to try.)
Once it’s done, pour it into your soup and stir for instant creaminess.
If you’re frustrated by my lack of ratios or measurements here, that’s because there is no set amount for either. A little more egg yolk, and the mix becomes thicker and creamier; more lemon juice, and your sauce will be thinner and more mouth-shrinkingly tart.
It’s not for me to say which you should pick for your next soup. But I will implore you to try avgolemono this autumn – it’s easy, satisfying, comforting, and most importantly, delicious.
