Giouvarlakia Avgolemono (Rice Meatballs in Egg-Lemon Sauce)

littleturtle's Note:

Greek lamb and rice meatballs in a creamy lemon sauce. Warning for leftovers: Sauce will not keep more than a day or two. The meatballs are still good on their own so I store seperately.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6

Yield: 50.0 meatballs

Meatballs

• 2 slices whole wheat bread (crusts removed, soaked in milk & squeezed dry)
• 1 ½ lbs ground lamb or 1 ½ lbs ground beef
• ½ cup rice (uncooked)
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons celery , chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed dried mint flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 quarts water or 2 quarts chicken stock

Egg-Lemon Sauce

• 3 eggs , separated
• 1 lemon, juice of
• 1 ½ cups meatball broth
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

1. Put bread and ground beef in a bowl, and mix and knead thoroughly.
2. Add rice, parsley, celery, mint, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
3. In a soup kettle, bring about 2 qt water to a furious boil.
4. Keeping the water boiling, shape the meat into little round balls (about the size of walnuts) and gently drop them into the boiling water.
5. Continue boiling for about 1/2 hour, and then set aside.
6. Beat the whites of 3 eggs until frothy, but not stiff and shiny.
7. Constantly beating, add the yolks until well mixed.
8. Still beating add the lemon juice drop by drop.
9. Bring butter and broth to a boil.
10. Add this to the egg-lemon mixture, beating continuously.
11. Place over VERY low heat, stirring in a S or X pattern (stirring round& round will cause sauce to curdle) until froth is almost broken down and sauce thickens.
12. Serve hot.

Reviews

[evelyn/athens]

Very good, and quite authentic. The dried mint is a MUST for yiouvarlakia (sic). I did add lots of veg to my stock as this is a recipe where I can successfully add lots of little 'extras' for my kids - a couple of zucchini and carrots, a potato, some celery - all minced. Makes for a really delicious stock. The egg-lemon sauce was perfect, but I would have liked to see a liquid measure for the amount of lemon juice required - lemons vary so much in size, and some are juicy while others are not...I ended up using 1/3 of a cup of lemon juice for this particular recipe to give it the amount of lemony-flavour we like.

[Michail]

Excellent! These giouvarlakia tasted better than my mom's (just dont tell her!)