Found this recipe in the Sunday NY Times magazine section recently. It was in an article by Mark Bittman all about using fresh herbs from the garden in recipes, and letting the herbs take center stage. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough parsley in my garden to make this soup, so I bought some, but it was well worth it. This is a very interesting and tasty soup. It’s a kind of Avgolemono which is a family of Mediterranean soups made with lemon, egg and broth (among other things). I had never tried one before. This one was quite good. I’ve seen other recipes that include chicken and rice, which would make a soup that’s a lot more filling. I think I’ll try one of those next. I really enjoyed the lemony flavor.

Lemony Parsley-and-Egg Soup
Recipe from Mark Bittman as seen in the NY Times

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cups parsley (about 3 bunches), roughly chopped, including stems
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and black pepper
4 eggs
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
Sour cream for garnish, optional

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Be sure it doesn’t burn. When it melts, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, until it wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in about half the stock.

Purée the soup in the pan with an immersion blender, or cool slightly, pour into an upright blender and purée carefully. Return to the pan with the remaining stock. Heat through over medium-low heat, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together, then slowly add about 1 cup of the hot soup, whisking the whole time. Gradually stir the egg mixture back into the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then stir in the cream if you’re using it, or serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream.

Yield: 4 servings