Highly untraditional avoglemono soup

When I am sick, there's nothing better than something hot and lemony to soothe my sore throat and ease general achiness. I've never been a big fan of chicken soup, but I've always loved greek egg and lemon soup. It has a little bit of everything: savory broth, soft rice, the tartness of lemon, and the creaminess (and protein) of whipped egg. It's easy to make even when you're really under the weather. Hence: the perfect soup when you're not well.

This week I've been losing the battle against some sort of unfriendly virus, and I shuffled into the kitchen yesterday to make up a big batch of traditional avoglemono. Unfortunately, I was out of two crucial ingredients: lemons, and regular long-grain rice. No problem, I thought, I'll ask a friend to bring over some lemons, and I'll sub in some lovely arborio rice instead.

Two things happened. First, the message about the lemons got a bit lost in translation, and the very kind friend brought a bag of limes instead. And the arborio rice did what it does best: absorb unbelievable amounts of liquid. So, instead of a brothy lemon-scented soup, I got a very fluffy creamy lime-scented one. And even though it was highly untraditional, it was fabulous.

Lime Egg Feel Better Soup

6 cups veggie stock
1 cup rice
4 eggs
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
couple handfuls freshly chopped spinach

1. Bring rice and veggie stock to a boil. Let simmer about 15 minutes, until rice is tender.

2. Whisk eggs with lime juice until a totally uniform color.

3. Temper the egg mixture by adding a little bit of the hot broth to the egg and whisking throughly.

4. While slowly pouring the egg mixture into the rice, whisk quickly. This will create a lovely creamy texture.

5. Put a handful of the fresh spinach in a bowl, then ladle the hot soup over top.

6. Enjoy! And feel better!