Egg Drop Soup Meets Italy

Egg drop soup.  Such a simple thing. Alluring.  Traditional.  Pleasing to the palate.  Easy to create.  But… if one is willing to buck against centuries of development and add a few simple Roman influences… a divine creation can be had.  My recipe for two on a cruising yacht for a filling lunch in a remote anchorage, or as a dinner adjunct:

Ingredients:

• Chicken broth:  3 cups.  Use a good quality broth, not the bottom shelf stuff please…
• Dashi Powder, a bonito and kelp soup stock:  2 grams. Easily procured on Amazon or in most Asian markets. I use Awase Dashi Powder that comes in 6 gram packets (see below).  Toss in about 2 grams, about 1/3 of a packet.  Keep the remaining 2/3 for more soup. THIS IS A KEY ingredient to procure before leaving port.
• Garlic Powder: ¼ tsp
• Corn starch: 1.5 tablespoonsful
• Diced green onion tops: 3 tablespoonsful
• Orzo: 60 grams, or 2 ounces, (for youse non metric, non-digital scale peeps) I sometimes add 70 grams if I’m channeling my inner Italian
• Cayenne pepper: ¼ tsp
• 2 large eggs whipped up a bit with a fork
• Pecorino Romano:  2 tablespoonsful, finely shredded.  Optional.  I use this instead of salt.
• Salt to taste

The how to:

• Bring the chicken broth to a slow boil
• Whilst it is heating up add Dashi powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper
• When the broth is hot add the orzo and stir it up a bit so it doesn’t clump together in a starchy mass.  Set your timer for 6 minutes, 7 if you like it a bit past al dente.  Stir every once in a while
• To keep boredom at bay while the brew is cooking, crack the eggs into a bowl and stir them up with a fork
• Add the green onion to the broth
• Place the corn starch in a container with a lid. Add 3 tablespoonsful of cold water, replace the lid and shake to dissolve.  Add it to the broth and stir to thicken up the whole mess
• Slowly stir the soup and slowly pour the egg into the broth.  Keep stirring a bit to create nice eggy tendrils
• Add the Pecorino Romano and stir
• Adjust flavor with a bit of salt if you feel you need to.  I usually don’t.

Serve it up in nice bowls and enjoy…