Click here for a slideshow on Kotsoupa Avgolemono.
It was a dreary winter day and my kids and I needed an outing. I was trying to think of something creative and my 8-year-old son, Max, said he wanted to go to the library to get books about Greece. He’s been interested (read: obsessed) with Greece for a while.
That gave me an idea. We would spend the day in Greece: a Greek restaurant, a Greek grocery store, then the library for books about Greece.
First stop, the Greek restaurant, Christos in Minneapolis. We asked for the server’s suggestions and ordered several menu items so that we could taste a variety of dishes. Each dish came with a bowl of soup called avgolemono, or egg lemon soup. It sounds like an odd combination (egg and lemon) but it’s a tasty soup. My kids and I loved it and hoped that they would give us the recipe to make at home. (They gave us a “version” of their recipe.)
Our next stop was a Greek grocery store, Bill’s Imported Foods. Besides the really great groceries, there were people from all over the world shopping there. My kids thought it was pretty cool to hear the variety of languages and also to see what they were buying. We followed their direction and bought baklava (a rich, sweet pastry) and baba ghanoush (an eggplant dip/spread). The baklava was a big hit, but the baba ghanoush wasn’t very popular. I usually like it, but this version had a smoky flavor I didn’t care for.
Our last stop was the library. We asked the librarian to show us where to find books on ancient Greece, and she was thrilled to help us. She showed us where the Greek mythology section, and Max said this was even better than ancient Greece.
My kids loved the tour of Greece and told all of their friends about it. I’m thrilled they liked it and can’t wait to do it again. We will choose another country next time — depending on what Max is studying.
When cooking with young chefs, let them pull the meat off the chicken. (Make sure it’s cool.) It may be a messy job, but it’s a good time to teach them the different parts of the chicken. They can also help shred the chicken, either with their hands or knives if they are a little older.
Kids can also help with the whisking. Remember to use a large bowl for the egg-and-lemon mixture. An adult can add the hot stock, and the kids can continue whisking. Be sure to tell them how hot the stock is, so they are careful with it.
Bridget O’Boyle teaches kids and adults to cook at Cooks of Crocus Hill.
Kotsoupa Avgolemono
(Chicken Soup with Egg and Lemon)
Used with permission from Christos
1 medium roasting chicken, 3–4 pounds
1 large onion, unpeeled
2–2 ½ quarts water
Salt, to taste
1 cup long-grain rice or bulgur
2–3 eggs at room temperature
Strained fresh juice of 2 large lemons
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Bring chicken, onion, and water to a slow boil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Skim foam off top frequently. Add salt to taste and simmer, covered, for 2–3 hours, until chicken meat easily comes away from the bones.
Turn off heat and remove chicken and onion from pot with a slotted spoon (discard onion)
De-bone chicken, shredding or finely chopping the meat.
Put chicken meat back in pot, bring to a boil, and add rice or bulgur. Simmer, with cover ajar, adding more water if necessary or desired, until grain is cooked. (10–12 minutes for bulgur, 15 minutes for rice.)
In the meantime, in a medium-size bowl, beat together egg and lemon until frothy. Very slowly add 2–3 cups of hot soup to egg mixture, beating vigorously with a whisk to keep egg from curdling. Pour egg mixture into pot and stir well with a wooden spoon. Serve immediately. Season individual bowls with freshly ground black pepper.
If you are pressed for time, buy a roasted chicken (3–4 pounds) and chicken stock (2–2 ½ quarts). Pour stock into large soup pot and follow remainder of recipe, starting with the addition of the bulgur.
