Enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
600g chicken thigh fillets, each cut into three pieces
40g Arborio rice
850ml chicken stock
200g spinach, washed and roughly chopped
2 eggs
Juice of 1-2 lemons
Heat a thick bottomed saucepan or wok over a medium heat. Once warm, add the olive oil, and once that’s heated add the onion and garlic. Stir them and add the chicken pieces. Keep stirring until the chicken has turned white (about 5 minutes) and then add the rice. Stir to coat it in oil and add the chicken stock. Cover the pan and leave to simmer gently for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the rice from sticking.
When the time is almost up, whisk the eggs in a large jug or a bowl, together with the juice of 1 lemon.
Stir the spinach into the soup, and once it’s wilted a little, turn off the heat. Now you need to remove some stock, ideally without any bits in. The way I do this is to press a sieve into the soup, and ladle out the stock from within the sieve.
Now comes the delicate bit. Whisking as you go, slowly poor a ladle full of stock into the egg. (If you add too much of it too quickly, you’ll get bits of cooked egg.) After adding 3 or 4 ladles to the eggs, reverse the process, and add the egg mixture slowly to the soup, stirring as you go. Finally, turn the heat back on and warm the soup slowly, stirring all the time, until it’s just beginning to simmer. Taste it and add more lemon juice as required.
This recipe was inspired by a classic Greek dish called Avgolemono. It has a velvety texture which is very moreish, and it contains a whole host of vitamins and minerals thanks to the spinach and lemon. For a warming soup which is filling enough to serve for dinner, read on.
This dish has got it all. Fibre and iron from the spinach, vitamin C from the lemons, protein from the chicken and eggs, and a small amount of carbohydrate in the form of rice. If you’re avoiding salt, this soup is a good option because the lemon gives it so much flavour that I don’t feel the need to add any.
Working eggs into the soup and adding a few grains of risotto rice give the dish its unusual velvety texture. If you’re trying to avoid cream but are craving the richness it can bring to a recipe, this is a good alternative.
Look at all the colours in this lovely salad! Salad Nicoise is a big favourite in our house because there are so many flavours in it. Sweet tomatoes, sour capers, salty anchovies, zingy basil and hearty spuds. To find out how to make this classic dish, read on.
The sauce for these noodles is very moreish and a doddle to make. If you like satay sauce, you’ll love it.
Get your five a day in one serving of soup. Crammed with crunchy veg, this low carb meal is a healthy family favourite.
This vegan curry has a lot going on but isn’t hard to make. The flavours compliment each other beautifully and who isn’t going to be impressed by the fact that you have knocked up a home-made chutney? (They don’t have to know that it only took 5 minutes.)
