Lemon Soup with Zucchini for Summer

This is a recipe I clipped from the newspaper some years ago and it is now archived in my black binders. Unfortunately I don't know who gets credit for the recipe, but I would still like to share it with some variations. Because the soup is assembled by the bowl, I increased the amount of zucchini and orzo allowing the eater to tailor the ratio of broth versus solids. Of course this soup is better if you make your own favorite chicken stock, bear in mind that the lemon flavor should be prominant once the eggs and lemon are combined. Keep your chicken stock flavor neutral.

Lemon Soup with Zucchini

2 quarts chicken stock

Coarse salt

4 eggs * (I used five large eggs)

Juice of 2 lemons

2 small zucchini, trimmed* (I used four young zucchini grated in a food processor)

1/2 cup orzo (optional)

Olive oil

1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add salt to taste. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a medium bowl with a whisk or electric mixer until thick and frothy. Slowly add the lemon juice,beating constantly. Slowly add 2 cups of the hot broth, still beating constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Stir the egg-lemon mixture into the remainder of the hot chicken broth. Let cool and refrigerate. Either grate the zucchini in a food processor or cut into julienne strips (I trimmed the zucchini but didn't peel them). Blanch in boiling salted water for 45 seconds just to set the color and remove raw taste. Quickly drain zucchini and run under cold water until cool to the touch. Refrigerate the orzo, if using, in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until cool. Drain and set aside. (If making orzo more than 1/2 hour ahead of time, toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil to prevent sticking and refrigerate until needed.) To serve, mix zucchini and orzo with the soup. Serve chilled. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired Makes 7 servings.
Cooks note: The first day we ate the soup warm, it was delicious. It is much like the Greek avgolemono soup that is made with eggs, lemon, chicken stock and rice. The second day we ate the soup cold and decided it needed to be room temperature to retain its flavor better. The sliced lemons used as a garnish helped pep up the lemon flavor.
Related Tags: lemon soup with zucchini, summer chilled soup, avgolemono