Avgolemono (Greek Egg, Lemon and Rice Soup)

     With the weather turning cold, the Wife is demanding soup. One of her favorites is Avgolemono. We used to get this soup from a Greek restaurant when we lived up north. It is thick and extremely rich. The texture can be a bit off-putting to some people, but those people are lame and need to get over it. This recipe calls for constant vigilance to make sure you don't end up with scrambled egg soup. Thus, this recipe qualifies as A Pain In The Ass. For the life of me, I can't recall where I got this recipe. If anybody recognizes it, let me know and I'll give credit where credit is due. As always, notes are in blue.

Avgolemono
Greek Egg, Lemon and Rice Soup

Ingredients

• 8 cups chicken stock 
• 1 cup orzo pasta or rice (we've always used rice)
• 4 eggs, separated
• Juice of 3 lemons or 9 tablespoons lemon juice (go with fresh if you can. It's not quite as good with the bottled lemon juice)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Bring stock to boil and add rice or orzo. Simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. 
2. When orzo/rice is nearing tenderness, whisk egg whites in separate bowl until medium peaks. Add egg yolks and lemon juice, whisking continuously. 
3. When orzo/rice is finished, transfer 2 cups of the hot stock to the egg/lemon mixture, adding slowly in a constant stream and beating vigorously to prevent the eggs from solidifying. 
4. Take he soup off the heat and add the beaten mixture back into the pot, whisking to incorporate. Serve immediately with fresh ground black pepper. 

Good times!

Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup (via Bon Appetit)

     I do so enjoy soup. I enjoy it even more when the recipe is really easy. A handful of simple ingredients and less than an hour to come together make for a no-brainer midweek recipe.

Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup
via Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
• 1 celery stalk, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• Lemon halves (for serving)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leek and celery and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, 5-8 minutes. 
2. Add chicken and broth; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Let cool, then shred chicken into bite-size pieces.
3. Return broth to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove pot from heat. Stir in chicken and dill. Serve with lemon halves for squeezing over.

Good times!

Recipe Monday: Pesto Roasted Salmon with Spinach and Orzo

     This particular meal came about as a last minute change. I had originally planned on making a very rich pasta dish for dinner. I decided to go with something lighter because I ended up going out to breakfast at Huddle House and eating two sausage, egg and cheese biscuits. That burned through about half of my allotted calories for the day. The orzo still gave me my pasta fix, which was nice. I wound up substituting a pistachio-basil pesto I canned last season for the pesto mentioned in this recipe. It came out wonderfully. I'll definitely be making this again. I do so love a nice piece of fish.

Pesto Roasted Salmon with Spinach and Orzo
(via McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant Cookbook)

Ingredients
• 1 pound salmon fillets
• 3/4 cup pesto (I used a pistachio-basil pesto)
• 1 1/4 cups orzo pasta
• 5 oz. frozen, no-salt-added spinach
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon slices

Pesto
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped garlic
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Combine and blend thoroughly in a blender or food processor

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. 
2. Cut salmon into 4 portions and rinse. Set aside while preparing pesto. 
3. Lightly coat baking dish with cooking spray. 
4. Pat fish dry with paper towels. Cut each salmon steak in half, removing as much of bone, cartilage and skin as possible. 
5. Coat fillets in pesto and roast for approximately 8 minutes or until the fish flakes. 
6. Meanwhile, cook orzo and spinach according to package directions. Drain pasta well. 
7. Squeeze out excess moisture from spinach then combine together with pasta. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and pepper and combine with pasta. 
8. Divide onto 4 plates. Place salmon portions on top of pasta.

Good times!