Avgolemono

In the Christian Orthodoxy, Easter is as significant a holiday or even more of one than Christmas. All of the trappings than anyone who celebrates Easter would recognize are present: flowers, church services, new shoes. But it is as solemn a holiday as it is celebratory, and anyone who lives in an Orthodox neighborhood recognizes and respects the traditions of those beliefs. Parades progress down the streets, with menfolk sweaty in suits struggling against the weight of the church statue they are carrying and womenfolk in widow’s weeds struggling against the weight of their lamentations. The elder priest of the church conveys an air of gravity as he either leads the parade or concludes it, depending on the congregation’s tradition. Sometimes musicians attend, playing a threnody, but just as often, the parades are silent as they take their haunting journey down the streets.

 

As grave as Greek Easter is, once the rituals are concluded, the church doors burst open to the peal of bells and the roaring energy of kids, who have been trapped in new clothes for hours on a bench and who pour down the steps for an Easter Egg hunt on the grounds. Greek Easter eggs are dyed deep magenta in symbolism of the blood of sacrifice, not just of their deity, but of the lamb that is pit-roasting in a shroud of rosemary, garlic, lemon and salt. The chocolate coins of last November’s Saint’s Day are now the chocolate bunnies, chicks, and eggs of Easter. Everyone and everything, from the joyous heads of blooming daffodils to the smiling faces of adults and children alike, celebrates the reawakening of the springtime spirit, after the needful rest of winter’s tomb.

 

Easter is not a religious holiday in our urban homes, but after a decade in Astoria, we are honorary Greek enough to join in the secular celebration. Bakery ovens in Astoria work double-time to dispense Easter bread, and I usually manage to put together a pan of baklava. Due to differences in timing between the secular and Orthodox calendars, Greek Easter is celebrated at a different time than common Easter. We will miss Greek Easter in Queens this year, but our hearts – and, yes, our appetites – are with the community we called home for a decade, that we will always consider to be home. Here is my original recipe for my favorite dish from the Greek Easter table: avgolemono - egg-lemon soup. It celebrates springtime by using two of its key ingredients -- fresh eggs and lemons -- to make a soup that smiles up from the bowl with a hue of sunshine yellow. Try this recipe – it is easy, good, and a celebration of both the solemnity and the joy of springtime.

 

Avgolemono

Orzo is rice-cut pasta; it is widely available as a boxed pasta. Don’t try to rush the cooking time; the long, slow cook is necessary to the creamy texture that is a hallmark of this soup.

 

½ cup orzo

2 cups chicken stock, plus extra if needed

2 large eggs

2 medium lemons, preferably organic

2 medium cloves garlic

1 dried bay leaf

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper  

1. Place a drop of food-safe vegetable cleaner in your palm. Rub each lemon with the cleaner. Rinse both lemons under cool water until they feel clean. Set the lemons aside to dry on a paper towel.
2. Place a medium sauce- or stockpot on the stovetop.
3. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half the clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center.
4. Place the garlic halves, bay leaf, oregano, rubbed sage, a dash of salt, and several grindings of freshly ground black pepper into the pan.
5. Measure the orzo into the pan.
6. Measure 2 cups chicken stock into the pan.
7. Swirl the ingredients together in the pan and place the lid on the pan.
8. Turn the burner to low.
9. Cook on low until the orzo has absorbed the liquid, approximately 30 minutes.
10. After 30 minutes, check the pan to be sure that the mixture isn’t running dry. If it is, add some stock to the pan to cover the mixture by approximately ½ inch. Replace the lid.
11. After 40 minutes, check the mixture in the pan. The mixture should be fragrant with the orzo plump and soft. If the mixture is running dry, add some stock to the pan to cover the mixture by approximately ½ inch. Replace the lid.
12. Crack each egg into a bowl. Use a wire whisk to whisk the egg until it is creamy.
13. Cut each lemon into thirds. Use a lemon press to press each lemon third over the whisked eggs, expressing the lemon juice into the eggs. Whisk the juice into the eggs after each pressing.
14. Turn off the burner and remove the lid from the pan. Use the whisk to whisk the mixture in the pan with one hand while you use the other hand to pour the egg-lemon mixture in a thin stream into the pan. If you pour slowly and whisk constantly, the egg-lemon mixture should incorporate into the hot mixture in the pan without curdling.
15. Once you have whisked all of the egg-lemon mixture into the pan, give the soup a good stir. Locate and remove the bay leaf; the garlic halves should be soft and will melt into the hot soup as you stir.
16. Serve immediately.