Mock Ovgo-Lemono (Greek Lemon Chicken Rice Soup)

When I moved from the city of Chicago to the far northwest suburbs there were many things I was happy to leave behind:  traffic, lack of parking, dirt, lack of nature.  One of the things I still miss, decades later are the wonderful Greek restaurants. You can occasionally find one or two Greek items on the menu out here, but I miss those little mom-and-pop places with the amazing food.  One of our family favorites is Ovgo-Lemono, a thick, creamy egg chicken lemon rice soup.

I really missed it.  The authentic way to make it involves raw chicken, cooked rice and many egg yolks.  So  I figured out how to make a knockoff that's foolproof, easy and pretty close to the taste and textures of the real deal.

Just three ingredients (four, if I ever remember to add oregano), one pot, less than 10 minutes.

Dump undiluted Cream of Chicken and Chicken with Rice soups (and a pinch of oregano) in a saucepan and whisk to combine.

Heat to a simmer and add lemon juice from a bottle.  Stir.  Serve. Yum.

Greek Lemon Rice Soup

Creamy Potato Soup

I wish I had a photo that would give you the smell of this soup.  Creamy, thick, filling and satisfying.  It's what we had for dinner last night and what my husband had for lunch today.  He snagged the entire tub of leftovers - not that I blame him.

It's one of the quickest from-scratch soups ever.  Here's how to make it:

That's all you need for this soup.  Peeled diced potatoes, chicken broth, minced onion, seasoned salt and white pepper go in the pot:

Cover it and bring it to a boil.  Reduce the heat to keep it from boiling over and cook until the potatoes are tender; about 40 minutes.  Then it's time to add the cream cheese.

Just cut it up a bit as you plop it in.  Then I hit it with my immersion blender.

If you don't have an immersion blender, a potato masher works very well.  Or you can use your blender or food processor.  Be careful while pureeing. If you overdo it, you'll get a gluey texture. Make it as pureed as you like; I keep a few chunks for texture. 

Serve with a salad and bread.  We didn't bother with either.  Just dove in.  Yum.

Creamy Potato Soup
Slightly adapted from Shawn H's recipe #150863 at Food.com

4 cups chicken broth
4 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese*, at room temperature
Optional toppings: crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar, fresh chives/scallions

Place broth, potatoes, onion and spices in a large pot.
Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender.
Mash potatoes to desired puree.

*Note: Normally I use reduced fat cream cheese, but full fat was what I had on hand. Both full-fat and reduced-fat cream cheese work well in this recipe; I don't recommend using fat-free. It has an odd non-melty quality.

Italian Vegetable Soup for the Freezer OMAC

Every summer I make this awesome soup and stash containers of it in the freezer.  Every winter, as I open the last container, I swear that NEXT year I will make more than one batch.  It is so very, very good.  It comes from the mom of a former co-worker at Sears.  I had huge zukezillas that I was trying to get rid of share with my co-workers.  And, this lady said "Can I take two?"  Me: "YES! Take them all! Um, I mean sure, help yourself."  She then went into a discription of the Best, Best soup her mom makes.  I'm thinking "Zucchini Soup? Ok, whatever floats your boat."  The next week she brought in a container of soup and gave it to me like it was an award.  And I'm thinking "Zucchini soup...".  I warmed it up and served it with dinner.  All I heard was "Umm! Yum! Wow! Is there more?" and slurp, slurp, slurp.  Then, "Did you get the recipe?"  My heart fell - "No.  I didn't think to ask."  Walt: "Ask."  So I asked, and gracious lady that she is, she pulled out a piece of scribbled notes with spatters.  Seems her mom is a pinch of this and a dash of that kind of cook and she was madly scribbling as the ingredients hit the pot.

Italian Zucchini Soup

2 pounds zucchini squash, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
1/2 green pepper, cut in 1/2-inch squares
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (from a tub, not a green can)
8 ounces green beans, cut in 1" pieces
1 large potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1can (15 ounce can) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (14 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14 ounces) water
2 pints OR 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

Partially peel zucchini lengthwise, leaving 5 or 6 narrow strips of green, like stripes. Cut zucchini into bite-size pieces. If seeds are large, remove and discard before cutting up zucchini.

Warm oil over low heat; add onion, garlic, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Chop and add veggies as they're chopped. Stir in green pepper, green beans, potatoes and zucchini. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, water, garbanzo beans and cheese. Mix well. Bring mixture to a low simmer, cover and cook about 1 1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender.

Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Leftovers freeze well.