By Melissa Clark
Avgolemono is a Greek egg and lemon combination that’s tangy and silky, and applied to thicken sauces and soups. In the United States, most versions of avgolemono soup brim with grains of rice and chunks of hen. In this recipe, a riff on youvarlakia avgolemono, ground chicken and rice are rolled into meatballs, then simmered in the broth, making the whole matter heartier devoid of getting rid of the soup’s characteristic brightness. Many recipes for youvarlakia contact for ground beef, and, if you like you can substitute that right here. Be aware that simply because of the eggs in the broth, leftovers do not freeze perfectly.
Youvarlakia Avgolemono (Lemony Greek Meatball Soup)
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
Complete time: 1 hour
1 pound ground rooster (or floor turkey or beef), extremely chilly
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill or parsley, moreover much more for garnish
1/2 cup grated yellow onion (from about 1 modest onion)
1/4 cup grated carrot (from about 1 carrot)
1/4 cup uncooked lengthy-grain rice, these types of as basmati or Carolina, very well rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, finely grated, pushed via a garlic press, or minced
1 teaspoon fantastic sea salt, additionally extra as wanted
1/2 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper, in addition far more as wanted
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
6 cups rooster stock
2 substantial eggs, at home temperature
1/3 cup contemporary lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
Freshly grated nutmeg, for serving (optional)
Techniques
1. In a big mixing bowl, incorporate ground hen, 1/4 cup dill, onion, carrot, rice, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Gently blend with your hands until very well put together.
2. Carefully type the combination into 24 meatballs, just about every about 1 1/4 inches in diameter, inserting them on a plate or baking pan. Go over and chill for at the very least 20 minutes or up to 24 several hours. This allows the meatballs hold their form though cooking.
3. In a significant pot, bring stock to a boil over substantial warmth. Reduce to medium and use a slotted spoon to very carefully include meatballs to the pot. The broth ought to deal with the tops of the meatballs by about 1/2 inch. If not, increase a tiny drinking water. Simmer gently, modifying the warmth so the broth doesn’t boil, right up until meatballs are cooked via and rice is tender, 25 to 35 minutes. (Split open a meatball to test it.) Remove pot from warmth.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk alongside one another eggs and lemon juice right until just combined. Slowly and gradually incorporate a ladle of warm broth to egg-lemon mixture, whisking continuously. Whisk in a different two ladles of broth to temper the egg mixture.
5. Little by little drizzle the egg-lemon combination back again into the pot with the meatballs, stirring gently so you don’t crack aside the meatballs. Return the pot to medium-minimal heat until it just starts off to simmer. (Hold out for a bubble or two to seem, but really do not enable the pot boil.) The broth should really be silky. Take away from warmth, stir in remaining 1/2 cup dill. Taste and incorporate salt and pepper, if needed. (It may perhaps want very a little bit of salt if you are starting with unsalted broth.) Garnish with nutmeg, if you like, and dill, and provide.