Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Chicken Soup with Lemon and Leek


Another variation on my weekly chicken soup routine.  I love the fresh zing of leeks with lemon and with the addition of jasmine rice this should should be both refreshing and savory.
I'm still a stickler about homemade stock simmered for at least 2 hours with plenty of bone and cartilage, see previous post for Rosul recipe. It makes all the difference in the richness of the broth.
Enjoy!



2 quarts chicken stock,  homemade 
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced thin
2/3 cup rice or coarse bulgur
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Fresh juice of 2 lemons, strained, or about 6 to 8 tablespoons, to taste
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley or dill for garnish
1. Combine the stock and leeks, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add the rice or bulgur, and continue to simmer until the grain is cooked through, 15 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
2. Beat together the eggs and lemon juice until frothy in a medium bowl.
3. Just before serving, making sure that the broth isn’t boiling, gradually add 2 cups to the egg and lemon mixture while beating vigorously with a whisk to prevent the eggs from curdling. Turn off the heat under the soup, pour the egg-lemon mixture into the soup, stir well and serve, adding a bit of pepper to each bowl and garnishing with chopped fresh parsley or dill.