Wild Greens Avgolemono
An wild herb-rich take on the wonderfully-simple-to-make Greek classic tempered egg & lemon soup. The stock is creamy and bright and the brightness of the greens is enlivening. Top with a poached egg, herb salt sprinkle, dollop herbal pesto...
4 large spring onions, chopped in 1/4” segments
4T butter or olive oil
6 cups chopped spring greens (miners lettuce, nettle, watercress, chickweed, more spring onions (!), etc)
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth or veggie broth or water
Zest & juice of two lemons
2-3 eggs; it’s creamier the more eggs there are
Splash olive oil
Salt, pepper
Sautéed spring onions dry with a sprinkle of salt in a soup pot for three or so minutes to help water evaporate. Add butter and cook another four or five minutes. Toss in chopped greens and garlic and cook till greens are wilted. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Keep it at a very low simmer to the point it’s not even bubbling.
Whisk eggs in a quart (or bigger) sized bowl with lemon juice. With a ladle, slowly pour a few cups of hot (but not boiling hot) soup broth into the eggs as you whisk to incorporate and temper them. Go slowly to not curdle the eggs. Add the egg-broth mixture back to the herbal broth. Stir and season to taste.
Serve with a slice of toasted buttery bread dropped into the soup and a splash of olive oil. Can also be made more hearty by adding rice to the soup when you add the greens, just make sure to keep it at enough of a simmer to cook the rice.
