2 of my favourite Greek Easter recipes – Flaounes and Avyolemoni soup
My aunt Helen and uncle Angelo cracking eggs
This weekend marks Greek Easter – the pinnacle of the Greek Orthodox calendar. A time of new beginnings and hope. Easter (and life in general) is just not the same without my mum and dad, but I love to make a couple of the classic Greek/Cypriot dishes that we would traditionally enjoy at this time of year. I hope you enjoy them too!
Avyolemoni soupa
(Greek egg and lemon soup)
This is a very traditional soup served at Greek Easter after midnight mass to break the Easter fast of Lent. I put a wholefoods spin on my parents’ traditional recipe by soaking the rice before cooking to make it more digestible.
This is the only time I make a chicken broth with a whole chicken (as opposed to chicken bones).
I love this soup so much not only because of the fond memories it evokes, but because of its innocent and comforting flavour. It’s also the soup I pull out when someone is sick and needs nourishment.
There’s only a handful of ingredients, but the trick is all in the technique to make it frothy and creamy without the eggs curdling.
Ingredients
2 litres filtered water for making a broth, plus extra for soaking the rice
1 cup white rice
1 whole chicken (approximately 1.6kg - 2kg)
4 eggs
½ teaspoon salt for the rice
1 teaspoon salt for the strained chicken bone broth
extra salt for seasoning the cooked chicken
6 tablespoons (120ml) lemon juice plus extra for seasoning the cooked chicken
pepper
Directions
Soak rice in a bowl with enough filtered water to fully cover the rice for 8+ hours.
Place 1 whole chicken in a large saucepan or cast iron pot with 2 litres of filtered water. The water should cover or almost cover the chicken. Cover the pot, turn heat to high and bring to a boil (this takes approx. 10 minutes) then slow simmer for 6 or more hours on very low heat so very little of the liquid evaporates (the bubbles should be tiny!).
Hot tip: if you are worried that 2 litres of water may overflow when it comes to a boil, add in 1.5 litres in the first instance and after it comes to a boil, lower heat and add in another 500ml.
Strain the liquid (a rich beautiful chicken broth) into a large bowl or saucepan. Cover the chicken in a separate saucepan or bowl to keep warm.
Strain and rinse the rice in filtered water.
Add the strained rice to a small saucepan and pour in 2 cups of the strained chicken broth plus 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer until rice is soft and the broth has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off when cooked and leave covered.
Beat eggs until frothy with a hand-held blender, food processor or Thermomix (speed 9, 30 seconds).
Add in 1 teaspoon of salt and 6 tablespoons of lemon juice into the hot broth. Pour beaten eggs very slowly into the chicken broth while mixing with a hand held stick blender. The soup should be frothy on the top.
Add the cooked rice into the broth and stir to combine.
Place the chicken onto a platter, roughly breaking it up into pieces. Season the chicken with additional salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Ladle into soup bowls and season with pepper to taste.
The chicken meat can be served either on a side plate or added into the soup as desired.
Serves 6 x 500ml serves. You will have a generous amount of chicken left over (which can be added back into the soup if there is any left over soup or used for chicken sandwiches, chicken salads or chicken curry!).
This soup keeps for approximately 3 days in the fridge.
the quick and easy version…
If you already have chicken broth on hand and don’t want to go to the effort of making a chicken broth from scratch with a whole chicken, this is how you can whip up a quick and easy Avyolemoni soup. You can either use leftover cooked chicken meat or simply buy a packet of raw chicken meat to pan fry.
Ingredients
1.5 litres chicken bone broth
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken bone broth for cooking rice
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
6 tablespoons (120ml) lemon juice
Approximately 300g raw chicken meat (e.g. tenderloins, thighs or breast)
olive oil for pan frying
cracked pepper
Directions
Soak rice in a bowl with enough water to fully cover the rice for 8+ hours.
Strain the rice (discarding the soaking water) and rinse rice in water when ready to cook.
Add rice to a small to medium sized saucepan with 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer until rice is cooked through and all of the broth has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat.
Meanwhile pan fry the chicken meat in a large frying pan in olive oil on both sides under cooked through. Slice into strips.
Add the salt and chicken meat to the rice. Keep covered to stay warm.
Heat 1.5 litres bone broth in a large saucepan or cast iron pot until hot (70 – 80 degrees Celsius). Turn off heat. Add in the lemon juice.
Beat eggs until frothy with a hand held stick blender, food processor or Thermomix (speed 9, 30 seconds).
Pour beaten eggs very slowly into the chicken broth while mixing with a hand held stick blender. The broth should be frothy on top.
Add the rice and chicken mixture into the chicken broth and stir to combine.
Ladle into soup bowls and season with pepper to taste.
Makes 6 x 500ml serves
This soup keeps for approximately 3 days in the fridge.
Flaounes
(Cypriot cheese and currant loaf)
This is a uniquely Cypriot recipe served at Greek Easter, but I personally love to make these all year round. Combining sweet with savoury, it’s difficult to even describe exactly what flaounes are to those who have not grown up with them, but think nutrient-dense bread or savoury slice rich in healthy fats and proteins (not just empty fillers) with a slightly sweet twist.
I took my mama’s traditional recipe and added my wholefoods spin on it, to make it gluten-free and maximise nutrient-density. Traditionally, each flaouna is made individually in the shape of a square, but for convenience, I simply pour the batter into a rectangular or square baking tray and cut them up into the desired size after they are cooked.
You can also pour the batter into a loaf tin and slice as you would bread. I leave this loaf on a chopping board on the kitchen bench, and the kids can help themselves (within a couple of days it’s usually gone).
Ingredients
300g parmesan cheese (or other cheese or combination of cheeses)
1.5 cups (230g) buckwheat flour
1 cup (250g) full fat milk
1 cup (250g) Greek yoghurt
½ cup (100g) olive oil
¾ cup (125g) currants or sultanas
4 eggs
1 bunch (approximately 50g) mint leaves, roughly chopped, stems removed
white sesame seeds for decorating the top of the loaf, preferably activated
Directions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Grease a loaf tin with olive oil and line it with baking paper on the base and all sides.
Rehydrate currants by completely covering them in boiling water in a small bowl and allow to soak until ready to use (this process brings dried fruit back to wholefoods).
If making buckwheat flour from (activated) buckwheat groats, process buckwheat groats in a spice grinder, nut grinder, coffee grinder or Thermomix (speed 9, 20 seconds) until it resembles soft fine flour.
Add buckwheat flour into a large mixing bowl.
Grate the cheese with a hand held grater or by roughly chopping it and processing it in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 9, 15 seconds) then add to the bowl with the flour.
Beat the eggs with a hand held stick blender, or process in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 6, 20 secs) until fluffy and add to the bowl.
Add the mint, milk, yogurt and olive oil into the bowl.
Strain the currants and discard the soaking water.
Add the strained currants into the bowl and stir until all ingredients are well combined to form a batter.
Pour batter into a 20cm square cake tin or rectangular loaf tin lined with baking paper and liberally scatter sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool before cutting into large square segments of about 10 cm2 (is using a square cake tin) or 2cm /1 inch slices (for a loaf tin). Serve at room temperature.
Slices can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days before requiring refrigeration. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
My sister’s flaounes made the way mum would make them