On Being Sick...and Soup.

So far 2011 can be summed up in a few short words: work, bad dates, work, mediocre dates, work and oh, a little more work. No need to take pity on me though, I have definitely brought it all upon myself-- partially because I like to keep busy for a variety of reasons and partially because I have been feeling the need to "put myself out there." Not exactly sure why, but as the new year rolled around I thought to myself, I need to meet more people. And so I did. I met so many people and went on so many dates that I am now officially burnt out.

I realized it on Valentine's Day when I started to get that tickle in the back of my throat. It was coming and I didn't know how to stop it. You guessed it, a cold, a full on head cold of mammoth proportions, one that started on Valentine's Day and has not let up since. The significance of Valentine's Day is really non-existant, aside from the fact that it is a day that represents love and the one person I have been forgetting to love this year is myself. A bit ironic isn't it? Since last year was the "Year of Joy?" Apparently, this year has started off being the year of everything/everyone but Joy. So I'm starting over. I'm abandoning on-line dating and I'm going to try to get back to myself. Starting with... feeling better. I am making myself this soup tomorrow and it is going to be yummy.

Avgolemono
adapted from a recipe by Cat Cora
1 (3 pound) free range chicken
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 bay leaves
1 leek, cleaned and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and quartered
2/3 cup aborio rice
3 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions
Place the chicken in a large pot with 2 quarts cold water, enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, skimming when necessary.

In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onions. Sweat the onions until clear. Set aside.

When chicken is cooked through, remove from the broth. Let the chicken cool and pull the meat from the bones. Dice into large cubes. Set aside.

Add the onion, bay leaves, leek, and carrot to the broth and simmer for 1 hour. When finished, remove the carrot and leek from the broth and add the rice. Bring to a boil and then turn heat to medium high to simmer until the rice is cooked to al dente, about 30 minutes. Add the chicken back into the broth. Add more water if needed.

In a small bowl beat the eggs and lemon juice together. Pour 2 cups of broth slowly into the bowl of egg and lemon, whisking continuously. Once all the broth is incorporated, add the mixture into the pot of chicken soup and stir to blend well throughout. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

This image was stolen from someone else's blog. I chose it because it looks very similar to my soup and I used the same pot (except mine was blue)