Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!
Are you food puritans? No, seriously, do you want the name of a specific dish to apply to the original version of it, or you accept all tweaks and versions to fall under this same name? I had a long conversation the other day with a friend of mine who is a chef and he was claiming that when, for example, we say tzatziki, we must stick to the original recipe otherwise is not a tzatziki.
I, on the other hand, said that I don’t really mind if the name is used for “non authentic” recipes. For me what matters is that people are trying Greek recipes, experiment with them and at the bottom line I feel honored my country inspires people to try our food. I don’t care if moussaka is made differently than how we make it here or tzatziki or spanakopita, but it is good for someone who attempts to make a dish from a local kitchen to know how this dish is prepared originally. The reason is that in this way not only will he/she be able to know a bit about the local food culture, but also it will help him/her make those changes that will fit the most his/her taste buds.
I think, and probably you will agree on this, that apart from the country from which a specific dish is originated, in all other places what we eat is a tweak. So, in that sense, the whole thing of following the recipe to the T is just a utopia. Nevertheless, now that internet is a big part of our everyday lives, one has the chance and the ability to search and find the origins of a recipe and its true components. Do you think this is important? For me it is. It helps me understand more about the local people, their climate and their effort to survive and adapt to the environment. It also helps me find ways to alter the recipe according to my liking.
Now you will all wonder why I am making this conversation in the first place. During all these years on the net I have seen many recipes for avgolemono soup. Nice recipes, with delicious ingredients that make your mouth water. Well, truth is that in Greece we don’t have such a soup. Avgolemono is a mere ingredient in many Greek dishes including soups, but there is no such thing as avgolemono soup. We have chicken soup, fish soup, beef soup etc. in which we can add avgolemono or not. Furthermore, avgolemono as a sauce is used for all types of dolmades and you can check here and here. I am just stating this for those of you who would like to know a bit more about our local kitchen. As I told you, I am not going to excommunicate all those people who made or make this soup which personally I consider it to be very hearty and tasty. I am only saying all this to help you understand some of our food customs.
So, after having this conversation with my friend, I was inspired to write this post and I thought that I should show you how I make the avgolemono and how I used it in a dish that is a bit unconventional and different from the ones we make usually in here. If you want to see how we use it in dolmades, check the links I gave you above.
This is not a fancy, elegant, laborious meal. It is a hearty, warm, filling family meal. Chicken is very tender and the avgolemono sauce is a bit tangy and so creamy without the use of heavy cream or any cream for that matter. The phony crepes I made are so easy to make even a child can make them without going wrong. You can omit the crepes and make it on its own and serve it with rice or orzo.
Menu 6
Appetizer
Spanakopita with Handmade Phyllo
Salad
Green Salad with Sweet Garlicky Sauce
Main Course
Penne Alfredo with Asian Flavored Shrimps
Dessert
Little Chocolate Baklava Bites
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups milk
- Butter for the pan in which we will make the crepes
- 1,2 kilos / 2.5 lb chicken breasts skinless, boneless
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 4 zucchinis, cut in cubes
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 to 3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 egg, slightly whisked
- 1 cup juice from the chicken
- 2 lemons, their juice
- 2 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
- Salt and pepper
- First we make the chicken.
- In a deep pan pour the olive oil and sauté the peppers and zucchinis.
- Throw the chicken and continue to sauté.
- Salt and pepper.
- Pour the stock and the dill.
- Lower heat to low and simmer for half an hour.
- In a medium pot pour the milk and water and bring to boil.
- Pour the one cup juice from the chicken, the corn starch and start whisking until the batter starts to thicken.
- Lower fire to medium/low and remove the pot from the fire.
- Add the eggs and the lemon juice whisking constantly.
- Bring back the pot to fire and whisk for a minute.
- Remove and throw the avgolemono to the chicken.
- Do not whisk just move the pan around so as for the avgolemono to cover all the chicken.
- Set aside.
- Either in a mixer or in a bowl add the flour, the eggs and the milk and whisk until everything is incorporated.
- Add the salt and it is ready.
- Take a non-stick pan 20 cm / 8 in. and butter it.
- Pour about ¼ to ⅓ cup of the batter and move the pan so as to spread.
- Cook for couple of minutes and then flip it.
- Cook it for another minute and it is ready.
- Continue until all the batter is used.
- This batter makes about 12 crepes.
- Take a crepe and fold it in two and then again in two.
- In the one of the two pockets add 3 tablespoons of chicken and serve.
- 2 φλ. αλεύρι ολικής αλέσεως
- 2 αυγά
- 3 φλ. γάλα
- Βούτυρο για το τηγάνι στο οποίο θα κάνουμε τις κρέπες
- 1,2 κιλά στήθη κοτόπουλου χωρίς πέτσα, χωρίς κόκαλα
- 1 κίτρινη πιπεριά, κομμένη σε φέτες
- 1 κόκκινη πιπεριά, κομμένη σε φέτες
- 4 κολοκυθάκια, κομμένα σε κύβους
- ½ φλ. ζωμό κότας
- 4 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
- 2 έως 3 κ.σ. άνηθο φρέσκο, ψιλοκομμένο
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- 1 φλ. γάλα
- ⅓ φλ. νερό
- 1 αυγό, ελαφρώς χτυπημένο
- 1 φλ. ζουμί από το κοτόπουλο
- 2 λεμόνια, το χυμό τους
- 2 κ.σ. κορν φλάουερ διαλυμένο σε 2 κουταλιές της σούπας νερό
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- Πρώτα κάνουμε το κοτόπουλο.
- Σε ένα βαθύ τηγάνι ρίξτε το ελαιόλαδο και σοτάρετε τις πιπεριές και τα κολοκυθάκια.
- Ρίξτε και το κοτόπουλο και συνεχίστε να σοτάρετε.
- Αλατοπιπερώστε.
- Ρίξτε το ζωμό και τον άνηθο.
- Χαμηλώστε τη φωτιά και σιγοβράστε για μισή ώρα.
- Σε μια μέτρια κατσαρόλα ρίξτε το γάλα και το νερό και βράστε.
- Ρίξτε το ένα φλιτζάνι ζωμό από το κοτόπουλο, το κορν φλάουρ και ανακατέψτε μέχρι το μίγμα να αρχίσει να πήζει.
- Χαμηλώστε τη φωτιά στο μέτριο και αποσύρετε την κατσαρόλα από τη φωτιά.
- Προσθέστε τα αυγά και το χυμό λεμονιού, ανακατεύοντας συνεχώς.
- Βάλτε την κατσαρόλα στη φωτιά και ανακατέψτε για ένα λεπτό.
- Αποσύρετε από τη φωτιά και ρίξτε το αβγολέμονο στο κοτόπουλο.
- Μην το ανακατέψετε, απλά μετακινήστε την κατσαρόλα έτσι ώστε το αυγολέμονο να καλύψει όλο το κοτόπουλο.
- Κλείστε τη φωτιά.
- Είτε σε ένα μίξερ ή σε ένα μπολ προσθέστε το αλεύρι, τα αυγά και το γάλα και χτυπήστε μέχρι να ενσωματωθούν.
- Προσθέστε το αλάτι και είναι έτοιμο.
- Πάρτε ένα αντικολλητικό τηγάνι 20 cm και βουτυρώστε το.
- Ρίξτε περίπου ¼ έως ⅓ φλ. Από το μίγμα και μετακινήστε το τηγάνι έτσι ώστε να απλωθεί μέχρι τις άκρες.
- Ψήστε για μερικά λεπτά και στη συνέχεια γυρίστε την κρέπα από την άλλη.
- Ψήστε για άλλο ένα λεπτό και είναι έτοιμη.
- Συνεχίστε έως ότου να τελειώσει το μίγμα.
- Το μίγμα κάνει για περίπου 12 κρέπες.
- Πάρτε μια κρέπα και διπλώστε την στα δύο και στη συνέχεια και πάλι στα δύο.
- Σε μία από τις δύο τσέπες προσθέστε 3 κουταλιές της σούπας κοτόπουλου και σερβίρετε.
