Recipe: Agineres Me Avgolemono (Artichokes with Egg and Lemon Sauce)

AGINERES ME AVGOLEMONO
(ARTICHOKES WITH EGG AND LEMON SAUCE)

The classic Greek sauce, avgolemono, is a great low-fat alternative to the melted butter, mayonnaise or vinaigrette dipping sauces usually served with artichokes.

4 large artichokes
water
2 lemons, juice from (divided use)
pinch of salt
1 cup chicken stock
2/3 of a tablespoon corn starch
3 eggs, separated

Snap the stems artichokes and trim the bases so that they will sit upright on a plate.

Boil a pot full of water to which you have added the juice of a lemon and a pinch of salt. Drop the artichokes in and boil for 30 minutes or until they are tender. Test by pulling off an outer leaf and trying the flesh at the base for tenderness.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring chicken stock to the boil.

In a cup, mix corn starch with a little water until it is smooth and add to the boiling stock, stirring until it thickens.

Separate eggs, beat the whites until they hold stiff peaks, then add the yolks and continue beating tin the whole mass is fluffy.

Still beating, add the juice of a lemon and pour in the boiling stock. Pour this mixture back into the stock saucepan, and stir it over a low heat for a couple of minutes. It must not boil.

Place the artichokes in the center of warmed plates and pour the avgolemono over them. Serve.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Raw Materials by Meryl Constance, The Sydney Morning Herald, 10/13/92