Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

The roommate and I were both feeling under the weather this weekend, and the only things I could think about Monday morning were soup and orange juice. So, I did what I usually do when I'm sick, and I trudged off to the supermarket with a cloudy head and procured some home remedy ingredients.

I had been to the New England Soup Factory on Saturday for a filling meal before an afternoon of studying, and I had a hard time deciding between split pea with spinach or their orzo, lemon and chicken soup. So, of course, I still had the orzo, lemon and chicken soup on the brain Monday morning, and I had to try my hand at it.

And am I happy I did. Based on Greek avgolemono, this stuff is definitely a cold-killer, and it's easy enough to make when you can't entirely think straight. Although making this did make me wish I had a larger freezer - I used canned broth, but homemade stock would have been so much better, and that larger freezer would give me room to have it on hand. *sigh*

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

10 cups chicken broth
1 cup orzo
4 eggs, beaten
Juice of 3 lemons
Zest of 2 lemons
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
salt and pepper

In a large pot, bring the broth to a boil over medium high heat. Add the orzo and cook about 5 minutes. While stirring, pour in eggs in a thin ribbon (so they don't clump up in the heat). Continue stirring until the eggs are cooked into threads. Add lemon juice, zest, chicken, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste. Return to a boil, then remove from the heat and serve.

Cheap Eats: Canto 6

Bakeries can be a great choice for delicious meal options, but it often seems that the meal doesn't justify the price. Not so at Canto 6, a small bakery in Jamaica Plain. Their menu boasts some great sandwich combinations, all for under $7. But the real value lies in Canto 6's pies and quiches.

Personal-sized pies and quiches make a quick and easy meal that will definitely fill you up. The scallion, bacon, and cheddar quiche ($3.25) has a fantastic balance between all the different flavors. The crust is especially good - buttery and flaky goodness that surrounds the filling. The peach and berry pie ($3.75) features the same perfect crust, plenty of sweet, fresh fruit, and a tender crumble topping. Pair them together, and you have a huge, delicious meal.

Canto 6 is located at 3346 Washington Street (at Green Street) in Jamaica Plain. They are open Monday-Friday, 7:30am-6:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 8am-8pm.

Originally published on Bostonist.

Henrietta's Table, Harvard Square

I like getting my family into this whole blogging thing :)

My aunt was in town for a conference and invited me to join her for a "research" breakfast at Henrietta's Table in Harvard Square. We had a great time chatting and eating, since it's so hard to spend any one-on-one time talking at our large family get-togethers (the eating, on the other hand, is never a problem).

I went for an omelet with spinach and feta, served with hash browns and toast. On my first bite, all I could taste was butter - which was a lovely thing. In fact, I think you can see a nice sheen of butter in the picture above. Sadly, however, the eggs themselves were overcooked and too thick. It may just be my own tastes, but I favor omelets that are more tender and thinner. The spinach, though, was excellent, simply folded into the center of the omelet. It was clear that this was incredibly fresh spinach, and I could have eaten a mound more of just that. The accompanying sides were very satisfying - the hash browns were crispy and golden and just delicious, while my choice of toast, the sweet anadama bread, was cut in big, thick slices. Definitely a hearty and filling meal.


My aunt went with the poached eggs and bacon on anadama bread with hollandaise sauce and asparagus. Again, the eggs were overcooked, with the yolks not runny but firm all the way through. But everything else was great, including the hollandaise with a pronounced lemony zing.

This was my second time at Henrietta's Table (the first was for a wedding shower), and I really appreciate the restaurant's use of fresh and in-season produce. Definitely makes me want to go back for lunch or dinner, when eggs aren't the main focus. (Oh, and also because the seasonal drink menu looks killer!)

Susu Bakery, Wellesley

My friend Ann and I often act much older than our years and use our preppy upbringings to visit "ladies who lunch" -type places. It's usually for tea (like our recent trip to the Taj), but on Friday we had lunch at Susu Bakery in Wellesley.

Susu is in a beautiful space, with lots of light and huge tables. There's even a granite countertop in the bakery section. One particularly large table was hosting a book group when we entered.

The lunch menu is short, but the choices cover plenty of ground - salad, sandwiches, soup. I opted for the tart (because I'll eat pretty much anything if there's pie crust involved). There was a solid layer of spinach along the inside of the crust, and a half of a tomato was in the center, with the egg mixture poured in around it. The quiche was served with a fresh salad tossed in a slightly creamy vinaigrette - nothing special, but it rounded out the plate well.

It was nice to see the care taken in plating the food. The sandwiches in particular looked very nice, with little cherry tomato halves topping each triangle. It definitely helped to add sophistication.

We grabbed a few baked goods on the way out, because what's the use of visiting a bakery if you don't get dessert? I tried a currant scone that was fabulous - flaky and buttery without being overwhelmed by the fruit. Made me want some clotted cream.

Overall, Susu is a little pricy for what it is, but it's clear that there is a lot of care taken with the food. I'm not sure I would go back again for lunch, but I really loved that scone, so I'm sure I'll be back for more of those.