Greek Lemon & Egg Soup

I love that Greek shop on Lordship Lane. Whether it’s after 6 on a Sunday or early on a bank holiday when everyone’s hungry, everywhere’s closed and all you have is a block of chicken stock in the freezer, you can rely on Andreas Delicatessen for giant bunches of fresh herbs, plump lemons and a pack of pasta (and flat bread and great feta and good olives and samosas). All you need for a quick lunch.

This easy soup is based on the Greek classic Avgolemono.

Serves 2 - 4
1.2 litres chicken stock with shreds of chicken
100g orzo or long grain rice
2 large eggs, at room temperature
juice of 1- 2 lemons, depending on how sharp you like it
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat the stock and once boiling cook the orzo or rice until tender. Remove from the heat and cover with a lid.

Whisk the eggs and lemon juice in a bowl until frothy. Remove a big ladleful of hot broth from the soup and slowly add it to the eggs, whisking continually.

Whisk the warmed eggs into the soup - the broth should be hot enough to cook the eggs so they thicken the soup a little. If it does taste raw, put the heat back on very gently just for a minute or two but don't let it get so hot as to set the eggs in clumps.

Stir in the parsley, check the seasoning (it needs quite a bit of salt to balance the lemon). Ladle into bowls and serve swiftly.