In SHIVER, Ian Pierce brings a lot of food to Lucas when he’s recuperating after an attack. Ian is the young chef of his own restaurant in Cincinnati called Rialto, which mainly focuses on Italian cuisine. But Ian likes to mix things up, too. So, one of the dishes he brings to Lucas-one of his favorite soups!-actually ends up in the hands of a local detective, Hollis Banner. Hollis has a cold and Ian is a sweetie who offers up his soup for comfort.
Greek food later plays a part in book #2, SHATTER. (Coming so soon! April 26th!!!) In SHATTER, you get to meet Anna Torres, Jude’s Greek mother, who also loves to cook. She mixes up her family’s Greek dishes with her late husband’s Spanish ones. I wanted to eat at her table so much! Soon, I’ll share a particular Greek dish she made that ended up having a special place in a really sweet scene between Snow and Jude.
But first? Avgolemono Soup!
I have to apologize. I’d planned to try out the different recipes I’d found and modify them to give you a really good one that Ian would make. I do know that he makes his from scratch. While buying a cooked rotisserie chicken and using canned stock will work for those of us on busy schedules, Ian would cook the whole chicken in onions, celery, carrots, bay leaves and more. He’d make sure he had a flavorful, rich stock. Because I do cook and like to cook with lemon-Chicken Francese is one of my favorite recipes to make-I will say that it’s usually better to go easy with the lemon. Not too easy! But it tends to taste stronger as it cooks.
To make up for my lack of time to test soups out for you, I’m including the snippet of Lucas, Ian, Hollis and the soup after the links to different Avgolemono Soups that sound yummy!
Links to different recipes:
http://soupmistress.com/2012/01/chicken-avgolemono-a-greek-goddess-soup-indeed/
http://forkfingerschopsticks.com/chicken-soup-greek-lemon-chicken-soup-avgolemono/
http://thekitchenmccabe.com/2014/03/01/avgolemonogreek-lemon-chicken-soup/
Ian, who was impeccably dressed as usual in a soft beige mock turtleneck and formfitting brown slacks, set the bags on the table and cleared his throat. “I brought several things.”
“We still have food you sent with Snow from last night. You’re spoiling me.”
The smile that Ian gave him was his favorite. Exactly the first one he’d seen years ago when they’d met. Shy and so endearing it still made Lucas want to wrap him up and keep him safe from the world. That smile had even melted Snow.
The doc would hate the way Banner was looking at their friend.
“Melissa mentioned that she was dropping some things off for Andrei, so I thought I’d tag along.” Ian walked toward the detective, his hand out. “Hi. I’m Ian Pierce.”
“I wouldn’t shake his hand,” Lucas said, butting in. “Germs.” Lucas walked over and wrapped a protective arm around Ian’s slender shoulders, gathering him close.
Banner’s nod was interrupted by another cough. He covered his mouth and rose from the sofa so he could step back from Ian as if he didn’t want his germs anywhere near the pretty man.
This nudged Banner up a notch in Lucas’s eyes. Just a nudge. The way those blue eyes ran over Ian still bothered him and the cop wasn’t being that blatant about it. But if Lucas recognized anything, it was lust. Even when that lust was tempered with the misery of a cold.
Ian’s expression softened as soon as he realized the detective was ill and he hurried back to the bags. “I have just the thing for that cold.” He pulled out a container. “There’s enough paella for everyone else, but I brought a container of avgolemono soup in case the paella was too much for Lucas. It’s warm and comforting, has chicken, rice, lemon, egg and some fresh spices. Oh, and it’s creamy but has no other dairy products in it so it won’t make your cold worse.” He walked to Banner and handed him the container along with that smile.
And it did what it had done to the rest of them. Banner took the container in his big hands, his gaze not leaving Ian’s mouth. He still didn’t say anything. Lucas hoped the sun streaming in from the windows was baking the cop in that leather coat and that’s why sweat had popped up on his forehead.
Sarah snorted, breaking the tension in the room. “That soup is one of the reasons I live and you want to waste it on the cop?”
Ian shot her a frown and her mouth snapped shut.
Lucas had to work to keep from laughing when Sarah didn’t respond. Ian had that effect on most everyone and even his shark-like lawyer seemed to have a hard time mouthing off to him. There was only one man Lucas knew who hadn’t felt protective and loving toward the slight, young man. And just the thought of that evil monster reminded him why a scruffy big, street-hardened guy like Hollis Banner had no business looking at Ian like he’d rather eat him than the soup. And that soup made his mouth water.
Lucas did love Ian’s avgolemono.
Banner cleared his throat. “Thank you.” He cradled the container to his chest.
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/easy-greek-lemon-chicken-soup/
The “I have no time and it takes just moments” version. I usually use rice. The kids eat is willingly.
Oh, this one looks great, too. Thank you!