Everyday Mom's Meals: It's Greek!
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Friday, April 3, 2015

It's Greek!

Apparently, I have a lemon theme going on this week, without even trying. If you didn't catch my recipe for Creamy Lemon Linguine on Monday, it's a keeper! You can see it here.

So we started the week with a lemon pasta and we are ending it with a lemon soup. It's quite appropriate for this week though, seeing how it's Spring Break! Nothing says spring to your tongue more than the bright, wake up your taste buds flavor of lemon!

This recipe came about because of a lunch I had with my mama and her friend a few weeks back. We were at my favorite diner here in Fort Wayne, and for the first time I decided to have lunch instead of breakfast. No joke. Every time I've been there in the past (And it's been a lot) I've had breakfast. No matter what time of day it was. They make the absolute best omelets in this city, hands down. Plus, since I always think of it as a place for great eggs, pancakes and all things breakfast, I sometimes forget it's actually a Greek restaurant!

The family who owns it is Greek and they feature traditional Greek dishes on their menu. But when I tasted this soup for the first time, I wasn't even thinking about that. All I knew was it was delicious, with a capital D, and I needed to recreate its lemony goodness at home.

Well, after I researched it a bit, I quickly discovered, it is indeed a Greek specialty that most traditional Greek restaurants serve their version of. (Okay, I have to be honest here. In my head I was saying "It's Greek!!" like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, who is convinced everything either comes from Greece, or was derived from something that came from Greece.)

If you have a springtime cold, or allergies that are in over drive, this will heal what ails you! In fact, the night I made it Monkey was down with strep throat and tonsillitis and it was the only thing all day he said tasted good and sucked down two bowls! 

It's bursting with verdant lemon flavor, but has a silky texture from the egg. Plus, between the egg and the rice, it's thick and hearty without being heavy.

If you have a great Greek restaurant in your hometown, I bet you they serve a version of this. If  you have ever had it and didn't know how to recreate it at home, now you do! Either way, it's a delicious soup, perfect for spring time! 

Greek Lemon and Rice Soup
7 c. chicken broth
3/4 c. long grain rice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 TBS dried parsley
Salt to taste

In a large stock pot, bring broth to a boil. Add rice and garlic. Bring back up to temp. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until rice is tender. While cooking, in a medium bowl whisk together lemon juice and eggs until frothy. When rice is cooked, ladle out some hot broth into egg mixture and mix well. Slowly pour back into soup, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt to taste. *NOTE* Be sure to add enough hot liquid to egg mixture to temper- this will prevent the eggs from scrambling when you add it back in. 



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