I first had this soup at Daphne’s Restaurant here in Southern California. It’s delicious–creamy and light, yet rich at the same time. It’s well worth the effort to make, though it doesn’t take much time at all. If you’ve never had this combination of flavors, I urge you to try it. The lemon combined with the rice and chicken is divine. My mother-in-law (from Turkey) added lemon juice to nearly every soup she made. Now I can’t make a soup without adding it. The flavor it adds will make your taste buds pucker!
To Make This Soup You’ll Need:
1 (3 pound) chicken
12 cups cold water
3 TB kosher salt
1 leek, cleaned and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and quartered
2 bay leaves
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely diced onion (about 1 onion)
2/3 cup aborio rice (it’s a short-grain rice)
1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon black pepper
To Make This Soup:
In a large pot, cook chicken with water, 2 TB of the salt, leek, carrot and bay leaves. Cook for about an hour, until chicken is cooked through.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Over medium-high heat, cook the onion until clear (about 6 minutes). Set aside.
Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and allow it to cool. Then dice the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Strain the broth to remove the leeks, carrot, and any residue. Return the broth to the pot and bring it to a boil. Add rice and cooked onion. Return to a boil then simmer, covered, 20 minutes until almost cooked. Add the diced chicken and reduce heat to low to simmer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, eggs, and pepper. Ladle 2 cups of hot broth into the lemon mixture, whisking quickly. Pour the mixture back into the stock and add 1 Tablespoon of salt. Stir well. Let it sit 10 minutes then serve.
TIP: When you ladle the liquid into the lemon/egg mixture, do it slowly while whisking fast–this will keep the eggs from scrambling.