Avgolemono (Greek egg-lemon chicken soup)

Cover the chicken with 2 litres of cold water and add the whole peeled onion and carrot. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, season with salt, then cover and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.

Lift out the chicken and vegetables; you won't need the vegetables any more. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones and shred it.

The meat next to the bone should be white with no pink. If it isn't, return the chicken to the broth for another 10 minutes.

Rinse the rice, add it to the simmering broth and cook for 15–18 minutes until tender.

Juice the lemons. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, then pour in the lemon juice while still whisking.

Turn the heat right down. Ladle hot broth into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly — 3–4 ladlefuls in total.

Don't pour the eggs straight into boiling soup or they'll scramble. Warming them gradually gives a silky finish.

Pour the egg mixture into the pot, return the chicken and heat gently, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until the soup turns silky. Don't let it boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Done!

Reheat leftovers the same way — slowly and without boiling, or the egg-lemon mix will split.