Lemons and Recipe for Avgolemono: Lemon, Egg, Chicken Soup

To follow up with my blog about the Calamansi, here's a blog about lemons complete with a recipe. I recently acquired a ton of lemons (2 grocery bags full) from my cousin's lemon tree so for the past 2 weeks I've been using lemons in everything I've cooked at home. I've used it as a marinade, soup base, or simply to dress up a salad. It's been a delicious experience so far.

In Eastern nutrition, the lemon is cool in temperature and is sour in taste. It helps promote fluids, relieves thirst, and harmonizes the Stomach. It's a great summer drink (lemonade) to keep you hydrated and cool.

As a citrus fruit, it is loaded with Vitamin C, as well as bioflavonoids, and potassium. It's a great immunity booster, and is also good for mouth ulcers and gum disease. This corresponds with Chinese Medicine theory. In theory, the Stomach channel connects with the gums and mouth, as well as the physical Stomach, which are all associated with digestion. Lemons benefit the gums and mouth, and also benefit digestion.

Lemon is a great compliment to meats such as fish, pork, or chicken. Or it can be mixed with a little bit of olive oil for a homemade salad dressing. It is also used in desserts to add a fresh note. Lemon is also found in tea often combined with ginger, rosehips, hibiscus, and orange to name a few, and all of which help boost immunity as well. Lemon zest can be used to garnish a dish or to even more lemon flavor. It's acidity is useful in preventing the browning of certain foods such as apples, bananas, avocado, and eggplant. Because of this acidity and it's fresh scent, lemons can also be used to clean and deodorize and is a great alternative to all of the harsh cleaning products out there. Overall, the lemon is a great citrus fruit with many health benefits, delicious possibilities, and unconventional non-food uses.

The most recent recipe I made with lemons was Avgolemono, a Greek soup made from a base of chicken broth, eggs, and lemons. After trying it for the first time at a Greek restaurant, I've been wanting to make at home for myself, so it was perfect that I had loads of lemons in my possession. For the recipe, I pretty much used a combination of sources (thank you, Google) to develop my own. Keep in my that I tend to cook with minimal salt and often with just enough seasoning and flavor with herbs, nothing ever overpowering. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts (I used boneless, skinless)
3 carrots, chopped (about 1-1.5 cups)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (about 1-1.5 cups)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
2 quarts of water
1/2 cup rice
2 eggs
1 lemon (juiced)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place the chicken, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme in a large pot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Allow the chicken to cook through.
2. Once cooked, remove the chicken, shred the meat, and set aside. (Optional: remove the vegetables for a finer looking soup. I took them out but ended up putting it back in at the end because I like a chunky soup with lots of vegetables).
3. Add the rice to the remaining broth and allow it to cook through.
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl. When the rice is cooked, slowly ladle about 2 cups of the hot broth into the egg and lemon mixture and whisk together to combine.
5. Return the chicken to the pot. Turn off the heat and slowly add the egg-lemon-broth mixture into the pot. Stir well to blend the mixture with the rest of the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot. Can be garnished with some parsley.

Prep time: 15minutes. Cook time: 1 - 1.5 hour. Serves: 4-6 people