When life gives you lemons, squeeze ’em!

If you’re fortunate enough to vacation in beautiful Italy, you’ll find that lemons are grown in abundance throughout the southern regions. Beloved by the Italians, they’re found in many traditional recipes, bringing a freshness and “zest” to any dish.

Our Gramma was fond of telling stories of all the Limoni she saw at the fruit stands in Italy, (some the size of softballs) and how she and her mother loved to stop for Granite: shaved ice doused in lemonade.

This velvety soup combines the flavor of lemon with Pastina.  You may or may not be familiar with Pastina.  Mainly used in broth soups, it literally means “little pasta,” and is the smallest type of pasta produced.   What Italian or Italian American kid didn’t grow up eating Pastina?  It was certainly our first introduction to the delicious world of pasta. 

You’ve got to make this easy, elegant soup. It’s sure to bring you rave reviews!  Here’s our recipe and video to show you how.  Enjoy!

RECIPE: Lemon Egg Soup

Ingredients:
½ cup Pastina
6 cups Chicken Broth
3 tbsp. Lemon Juice
2 Eggs
2 Egg Yolks

Directions:

Cook pastina in 6 cups of simmering chicken broth, with 1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice.

In a bowl, beat 2 eggs, 2 yolks and 1 ½ tbsp. lemon juice.  Whisk in a little hot broth, (to temper), then whisk the egg mixture into the soup.

Cook a few minutes over low heat until broth mixture thickens. Ladle into bowls & serve. Garnish with thin slices of lemon.  You can also add fresh spinach, or defrosted (liquid squeezed out) chopped spinach to this soup…Delicious!

Makes 6 one-cup servings

CALORIES: Eggs 320, Pastina 400, Chicken Broth 60, Lemon Juice 0 for a TOTAL of 780. That’s only 130 calories per serving!