Soupa Yiouvarlakia – Σουπα Γιουβαρλακια

Since I have started fighting the flu during the past 5 days, the only thing I have been craving for it’s comfort food. Comfort food to me is rich, hot and creamy. So I decided to make one more comfort soup (following my trahana soup) to soothe my sore throat. My daughter’s favorite soup – soupa yiouvarlakia - σουπα γιουβαρλακια - as we call it in Greek. This soup is hot, rich and creamy! It’s a soup with meatballs in egg lemon broth – avgolemono - αυγολεμονο.

Agvolemono sauce is used in other soups as well as other dishes. Number of lemons and or eggs used may vary and there is no right or wrong. It’s all a personal taste. My mom for instance likes her egg-lemon sauce really creamy so she adds more eggs; it’s not very healthy but it tastes really good. Intentionally, I have cut down on the number of eggs I use.

Luckily, I had some ground beef in the freezer that I recently bought.  The ground beef I had bought had very little fat because I bought it at the local international store. I usually pick a nice lean piece of beef and I have the butcher grind it for me. I used it tonight for my soup and the result was excellent.

Till this day my father advises me to go to the local butcher and choose my own meat instead of buying it at the supermarket already ground and packaged. He says - you have to see what you are getting! :-).

It’s an easy and delicious soup that makes adults as well as children quite happy.

1 pound ground beef or lamb

1 cup long grain rice

1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1/3 finely chopped or grated onion

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 quarts chicken stock

Salt

Pepper

1 dash ground nutmeg

3 eggs

1 lemon

For the Top

Finely chopped flat leaf parsley

In a bowl mix the ground beef or lamb, half of the rice, grated onion, finely chopped parsley, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Form small balls of 2 inches diameter.

You will be able to make approximately 20 meatballs.

In a deep saucepan add the chicken stock, and the remaining olive oil. Cover with a lid. On high heat let it come to a boil.

Remove from the heat. Add the remaining rice and then start adding the meatballs into the pot. Place back on medium-low heat and let the soup cook for approximately 30 - 40 minutes or until the rice in the meatballs is fluffy and soft. While cooking have it covered with a lid.

In a separate bowl beat the eggs well until fluffy. Gradually add the lemon juice.

Mix well. You need to temper the egg and lemon juice mixture.

With a small ladle add some hot juice from the soup into the egg and lemon mixture and whisk well. Repeat this step a few times until the temperature of the eggs is about the same as the temperature of the soup. You are doing this because you don’t want the eggs to curdle.

Once the egg and lemon mixture is hot, add into the soup with the meatballs and stir well for about a minute or two.

Serve immediately after sprinkling some chopped parsley on top.

Serve hot.

Serves 4-6