Mike and I just returned from a long weekend in Ohio celebrating his cousin’s wedding. It was a great trip and a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the Greek side of Grumpa’s family.

If you are an Xeno like me, it’s important to note that the caricatures of Greek pride depicted in My Big Fat Greek Wedding are not far from the truth. Mike is only part Greek, but his Grandfather Minos was a full-blooded, feisty little man who’s big Greek attitude more than made up for his small stature. Rose Antonucci, his sassy little Italian bride, was known to say “I thought I married a Greek god, but I actually married a “g-d” Greek!”

That Greek pride does rub off on you though, even if you are an Xeno. Rose became my kids’ Yiayia not their Nonna and she was the one who introduced me to my first taste of lamb and many of Papouli’s favorite Greek dishes.

A family favorite was Yiayia’s Greek Soup or Avgolemono. It was her cure for everything that ailed you and a big way this sassy little lady showed her love.

I’ve checked out dozens of recipes online and am always tasting would be Avgolemono soups wherever they appear on a menu. I consider NONE of them Greek! Because none of them come close to Yiayia’s.

Thankfully, I had a good teacher. I have a scribbled version of this recipe on the back of an old kindergarten worksheet from my daughter Olivia. (Just where a recipe like this should be written.) It only includes how to make the lemon-egg mixture and how to assemble the soup. The rest is all taste, feel, and love.

I take a few liberties with Yiayia’s recipe because I’m not as experienced as her yet at gauging the ingredient amounts even though I’ve been making this soup for 20+ years. For example, she never added bouillon and she cooked the rice within the soup which slightly thickens it. She never added flour which I find in many versions; adding flour makes the soup heavy and diminishes its lemony freshness which makes it perfect any season of the year.

So here’s Yiayia’s Greek soup. The best I’ve ever eaten. While neither Yiayia nor Papouli are with us anymore, I still think of them with every bowl.

Yiayia’s Greek Soup

• 1 Whole, skin-on, bone-in chicken, cut into pieces
• Olive oil
• 4 Eggs – separated and set aside
• 2-3 large lemons juiced, strained, and set aside (or 3-4 small)
• Salt
• Water
• Chicken bouillon or soup base (optional)
• Cheese cloth
• 6-12 servings cooked rice (use what you think you’ll need and freeze the rest)
• Freshly ground black pepper for serving

Prepare your soup base

1. Generously salt chicken pieces and brown in olive oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot.
2. Once nice and browned, cover chicken with water, salt generously, and simmer chicken until tender.
3. Remove cooked chicken from broth and set it aside to cool slightly before removing skin and meat.
4. Strain the broth through the cheese cloth to make sure it’s nice and clear.
5. Return strained broth to the heat and taste. Add enough water and bouillon to accommodate the amount of soup you want and bring to a simmer.
6. Remove 1-2 cups of prepared broth to cool slightly for your lemon/egg mixture
7. Remove skin and bones from the chicken (be careful to remove all fatty bits and reserve the cleanest pieces of meat for your soup.) Return cleaned meat to the broth and discard the rest.
8. Stir in your desired amount of rice.

Prepare the lemon-egg mixture

1. Beat your egg whites until nice and fluffy.
2. Gradually add yolks to the whites one at a time. Beat until your eggs begin to stiffen.
3. While eggs are beating, slowly pour in lemon juice, and then slowly pour in broth. Your lemon/egg mixture will be a pale and frothy yellow.

Finish off the soup

1. Gradually stir in a couple ladles of lemon/egg mixture into your soup, then slowly pour in the rest.
2. Taste and adjust salt as necessary and heat to desired temperature.
3. Serve with freshly ground black pepper, pita bread, and a simple salad dressed in lemon and oil.