Perfect-as-it- is Avgolemono soup

I like to gild the lily.  If something tastes great, I like to think if I add a pinch of smoked paprika or an extra dash of tabasco, I can make it better, make it taste absolutely sensational.  Sometimes this superfluity can lead to delightfully surprising outcomes, other times it can lead to disaster.

This mantra of 'if a little is good, then a lot is better' led to my downfall as an undergraduate Chemistry student.   Fondly I recall my Chemistry lab experiments at Uni where I often shamelessly pipetted too much hydrochloric acid, or other type of acid, into a solution and remaining agog at the toxic gases produced.  I even had my supervisors bewildered with the mysterious reactions that were occurring in the incubators of which I presided.  Invariably there was smoke, there were menacing hissing noises, dubious smells, dangerously overheated test-tubes, holes in my lab coat ...Alas, I was not a highly sought after lab partner!

But I'm learning that sometimes it is best to do as little as possible, add as little as possible to a dish and the results can be absolutely sensational.  Like this avgolemono, from Stephanie Alexander's the cooks companion - a Greek lemon-egg soup which needs to be served straight after cooking. It is certainly not one of those soups that can be reheated and served later as it tends to go gluggy.  This has to be one of my favourite soups.  And please, do not even think about buying the cartoned chicken stock!  Quelle horreur!!  Serves 4....

1.5 litres home made Chicken stock
90g long grain rice
3 large eggs
juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper

Bring stock to simmering point.  Adjust seasoning and drop in rice.  Simmer for 15 mins until rice is cooked. 
Beat eggs and lemon juice vigorously (or use hand held mixer) till frothy. Add a ladleful of hot stock to egg mixture and continue to whisk..Remove stock from heat and allow to cool for 2 -3 mins. 
Swiftly tip in egg mixture, whisking to mix well.  Taste again for salt and pepper.  Serve at once.

Caramelised onion and vintage cheddar bread

It was a chilly, autumnal morning and something warm and comforting was in order.  Flipping through my latest Gourmet Traveller I found the following recipe for a scone-like savoury bread. Although it is called a bread, there is no yeast.  It's very rustic and accessible unlike some of their recipes which even for someone with altispheric tastes like moi, can be a little too intimidating.  No, this one just calls for onions and vintage cheese amongst other homely ingredients.  If you do want to make it a little more sophisticated, swap the vintage cheddar for a mix of fetta and tasty or halloumi.  Or instead of thyme in the caramelised onion concoction, use mint or oregano. Although, my daughter did complain that there just wasn't enough caramelised onion, otherwise she would have given it a 10/10. Wonderful with a light, brothy soup like  avgolemono....Serves 8

450g (3 cups) SR flour
160g (1 cup) wholemeal SR flour
100g cold butter, chopped
120g (1 cup) coarsely grated vintage cheddar
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs such as chives and thyme
1 egg, lightly beaten
310ml buttermilk

Caramelised onions
2 tbs olive oil
3 medium sized brown onions, thinly sliced
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 tbs sugar
salt and pepper to taste

For caramelised onions, heat oil in a large fry pan and cook onion with bay and thyme leaves over medium heat till soft.  Add sugar and salt and pepper with 2 tbs water and cook stirring occasionally for 20 mins till onions are soft and charred around the edges.  Cool.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.  Line a large oven tray with baking paper.
Whisk flours in a large bowl for a minute till thoroughly aerated.  Rub in butter.  Stir in half the cheese and half the mixed herbs.  Add egg and enough buttermilk to mix to a soft, sticky dough.  Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until smooth.

Roll dough between sheets of baking paper into a 30cm x 40cm rectangle.  Spread caramelised onions over dough, leaving a 2cm border along the far long side.  Sprinkle remaining cheese and herbs over onion. Roll up firmly from long side and transfer to tray turning edges to form a horse-shoe shape. Brush with a little extra buttermilk,

Bake for about 40 mins.  Stand on tray for 20 mins.  Serve.  If you can't be bothered with the soup, just open a beautiful bottle of Beaujolais, or any reputable red, and imbibe with pleasure! It would be just as warm and comforting.....