Greek youvarlakia — rice meatballs in egg-lemon soup

Youvarlakia is one of the best-loved dishes of Greek cuisine: small rice meatballs simmered slowly in broth and finally covered with avgolemono — the famous Greek egg and lemon sauce, which makes the soup creamy and refreshing. It is a warming, filling dish, suitable for autumn and winter meals. The illustrative photograph comes from Wikimedia Commons.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 4–6 people

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:
– 500 g ground meat (beef, or a beef–lamb mixture)
– 100 g long-grain rice
– 1 medium onion, very finely chopped
– 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
– 1 egg
– 1 teaspoon dried oregano
– salt and black pepper to taste

For the soup:
– 1.5 litres meat broth or water
– 1 whole peeled onion
– 1 carrot, sliced (optional)
– 1–2 bay leaves
– salt

For the avgolemono:
– 2 eggs
– juice of 2 fresh lemons

PREPARATION STEPS

1. Prepare the meatballs: in a large bowl mix the ground meat with the rice, finely chopped onion, parsley, egg, oregano, salt and pepper. Work the mixture with your hands until it binds well.
2. Wet your hands with cold water and form small meatballs, the size of a walnut.
3. Pour the meat broth (or water) into a wide pot, add the whole onion, carrot and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
4. When the broth boils, lower the heat and gently place the meatballs in one by one. Simmer on low heat for about 35–40 minutes, removing the foam that collects on top.
5. Meanwhile prepare the avgolemono: whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in a bowl until lightly foamy.
6. Take 2–3 ladles of hot broth from the pot and pour it slowly over the whisked eggs, stirring constantly — this warms the egg without curdling it.
7. Remove the pot from the heat, wait 1 minute, then pour the avgolemono mixture into the soup, stirring gently. Do not return it to high heat, so the sauce does not split.
8. Remove the whole onion and bay leaf, serve the soup hot with fresh parsley on top and extra lemon to taste.