Avgolemono with Lamb Meatballs

Greek Lemon Soup 

Eureka! An unexpected find! There was one lonely roll of ground lamb lurking at the back of a freezer drawer, camouflaged amidst similar-shaped chubs of pork sausage and some homemade cookie dough. Mmmmmmmmm, we enjoyed juicy, feta-stuffed lamburgers and a Fattoush salad for lunch, but that still left half a pound of ground lamb for another day. In the week’s cold, stormy weather (link) it was an easy decision - Avgolemono Soup. With Lamb Meatballs and an accompanying Greek Salad and pita chips. That meal defied the weather, bringing hints of sunshine into Kumealon Inlet. While it wasn’t a Mediterranean location, I could close my eyes and dream of blue skies and sandy beaches. 

There must be hundreds, even thousands of Avgolemono recipes online and in print cookbooks, each with slightly varying ingredients and techniques. Go ahead, Google it and see for yourself. Chicken broth thickened with eggs, a handful of rice, lemon juice, and parsley, dill and/or mint are common to most versions. Parsley is a typical garnish. That’s it, a very short list of basic ingredients for the cook. Even the addition of meatballs doesn’t take it beyond ordinary pantry staples. What’s so special about the combination? Somehow the lemony tang, the lamb meatballs, and the custardlike broth work magic together so the resulting soup holds more flavor than you would anticipate.

We prefer the warm version, with the added flavor derived from lamb meatballs. That said, avgolemono is delicious with or without the meatballs, as a sauce or even chilled as a hot-weather soup. This is versatile, tasty comfort food; what more can you ask of simple ingredients?

Avgolemono with Lamb Meatballs

Serves 6

3/4 lb ground lamb, or lean ground beef or Italian sausage without casings

1 finely minced onion

4 TB long grain white rice

1/4 cup fine dried breadcrumbs

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, divided

2 TB chopped fresh mint or dill

3 eggs, divided

Salt & pepper

6 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup lemon juice

1. In a bowl, combine meat, onion, rice, breadcrumbs, just 1/4 cup of the parsley, mint or dill, and only 1 of the eggs. Knead with your hands until well mixed. Form the mixture into tiny, 1/2 inch, meatballs.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the stock to a boil. Add the meatballs, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently until the meatballs are cooked, 25-30 minutes. (I add a tablespoon or two of rice to the broth.)
3. In a bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs until very frothy. Gradually beat in about 1 1/2 cups of the hot soup, beating constantly to prevent curdling. (This step tempers the eggs so they won't scramble when added to the soup.) Continue to beat until thickened, then slowly stir the egg mixture into the hot soup. Heat through, but do not allow the soup to boil (or it might curdle and separate).
4. Ladle into warmed bowls, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parsley and serve hot. Remember to close your eyes and dream of blue skies and sandy beaches.
5. Notes: For a hot-weather version of Avgolemono, skip the meatballs and chill in the refrigerator after adding the thickened egg mixture back into the soup. Serve chilled or near room temperature for a smooth, custardy summer soup. (Mixed reviews on this version: I love it, but ex-neighbor Cindy wrinkled up her nose and turned down a second spoonful.)              

Migas? Chilaquiles? Migaquiles???

Warm sunny days, on or near the water, with someone waiting on me... in my dreams. At least these sunny thoughts kept me from frowning at the gray, windy weather outside the galley windows this week. Those same thoughts took me traveling back through some wonderful memories.

Quick flashback to my first trip to Texas. It was memorable for a photo tour of the Alamo, a leisurely drive through the Hill Country when bluebonnets were in bloom, horseback riding and relaxing at an amazing dude ranch, and discovering fajitas and migas for the first time. Love at first bite! Fast forward to another decade and a stay in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. There we explored the local mercado, wandered the beach, ran around on ATVs, ate a lot of shrimp, and enjoyed chilaquiles for breakfast at a seaside restaurant. (Dim memories of an evening with a lot of tequila, wandering mariachis and friend Arturo knowing all of the words to every song - but that's another story.)

Chilaquiles are a traditional way in Mexican households to use leftover tortillas; end of story, or so I thought. Then I ran across several internet discussion threads debating migas vs chilaquiles as THE decidedly different and authentic use of leftover tortillas. I ran a Google search on "chilaquiles vs migas" and was stunned to see over 2000 hits, and many with conflicting descriptions. Baked casserole or pan-fried mixture? Eggs or eggless? Crispy or soggy tortillas? and on and on. So what do you call a dish with crisped tortilla strips, a red chili sauce, pepper strips, eggs and cheese?   

I vary my cooking method and ingredient list, depending on whim and dining partners, and still call the dish chilaquiles. That word is just more fun to roll off the tongue than migas. Authenticity aside, here's a tasty way to use up a few corn (or flour) tortillas for a breakfast treat. 

Chilaquiles - this week's version

Serves 4

10 small corn tortillas

salad oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 poblano chili, diced

4 green onions, green and white portions, chopped small

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

red chili sauce (homemade or from a jar)

4 eggs, poached or scrambled

1/2 cup shredded cheese, queso fresco, jack or manchego

fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Optional sour cream, avocado slices and /or salsa to accompany

1. Tear or cut the tortillas into short 1/2-inch strips. Put some oil about 1/4-inch deep  into a wide skillet and heat over medium-high heat. In small batches, fry handfuls of tortilla strips until lightly browned and drispy, about 3-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a paper towel covered plate. Place in a 200 F oven to keep warm. (Add more oil to the fry pan as needed for later batches.)
2. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil in the frypan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and poblano and cook briefly to soften, not brown. Add the green onions, tomatoes and a few tablespoons of that optional chili sauce; stir to mix and cook until the tomatoes begin to give up their juices.
3. Now you have some choices. I like to make four holes in the pan sauce, drop an egg in each hole, cover the pan and cook slowly until the white are set and the yolks are still runny. OR soft-scramble some eggs in the pan sauce or in another pan. OR you could warm up some pre-poached eggs in warm water and use them…. Cook the eggs any way you like!.
4. Scatter the tortilla strips on a plate, cover with eggs, pan sauce, cheese, cilantro and any other toppings and garnish you like.