Greek cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Giouvarlakia Avgolemono

Meatballs with rice cooked in light broth and served bound with a frothy egg-lemon sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600 g ground beef
• 150 g round-grain rice
• 1 onion
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• 1/2 bunch dill
• 1.2 l chicken broth
• 2 eggs
• 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Grate the onion very finely, chop the parsley and dill and knead both firmly into the ground meat with the uncooked rice, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper for 3 min until cohesive.
2. With wet hands, shape the mixture into about 20 walnut-sized balls and chill for 15 min so they hold together while cooking.
3. Bring the chicken broth to a boil with the remaining olive oil in a wide pot and slide the balls in one by one.
4. Simmer covered over low heat for 35 min – the broth should only barely bubble, otherwise the balls fall apart; the rice visibly swells during this time.
5. Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice and cornstarch until frothy, stir in two ladles of hot broth while whisking constantly, then pour the mixture into the pot.
6. Swirl the pot instead of stirring, let it thicken over the lowest heat for 2 min and serve immediately with plenty of sauce in deep bowls.