One of these great Greek soups which serve as main course because they are both filling and nutritious. Great in the winter but I love it all year round. You might just want to serve it with some freshly baked crusty bread! I normally use beef mince for this but as a substitute for mageiritsa it is very tasty with lamb mince.
Ingredients 6
For the meatballs
- 500g lean beef mince
- 1 medium size onion, finely chopped
- 70g pudding rice
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small bunch of parsley
- 1 small bunch of dill
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the soup
- 2 carrots
- 2 medium size potatoes
- 1 large size leek
- 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon
For the sauce
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp cornflour
Method
Start by lining a flat tin to put the meatballs on as you make them.
Next, put the rice in some cold water to soak. While the rice is soaking, prep the ingredients.
Peel and chop the potato and carrot for the soup in small cubes. Trim the leek and use only the white part to cut in half lengthwise and again in half then slice thinly.
Chop the onion and the herbs for the meatballs.
To make the meatballs, drain the rice in a fine mesh colander, rinse under the tap until the water runs clear and drain. Put the mince, onion, egg, dill and parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and rice in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and use your hands to knead the mince for a few minutes. Working the ingredients at this stage helps incorporate the flavours and keep the balls intact when you add them to the soup. Ideally, you should cover the mince with some plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes. This will make rolling them easier but if you are in a hurry, you may skip this step.
Using a teaspoon to measure the quantity of mince, shape balls in your hand and put on the lined tin.
For the soup, put 2 Ltr of water in a pan and add the bouillon and chopped vegetables. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs to the soup and continue cooking on a low simmer for a further 30 minutes. Carefully remove any impurities which float on the surface of the soup during cooking.
Take the pan away from the heat. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice and cornflour. Take some warm stock from the soup with a ladle and add it slowly to the egg mixture while whisking all the time. Do that a couple of times and then pour the avgolemono back into the pan and give it a stir. Put back on the heat and warm up on low for a couple of minutes for the soup to thicken. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Serve with lemon slices on the side, extra chopped herbs and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.