This is the “SOUP of SOUPS” . . . a flavorful chicken & vegetable broth yet light & clear, slowly & patiently thickened with an ‘AVGOLEMONO’ sauce made with whipped egg whites combined with fresh lemon juice & egg yolks, coddling poached YUVARLAKIA (or giouvarlakia or yiouvarlakia, who knows how it should really be spelled but in greek it’s like this : γιουβαρλάκια) which are usually beef & rice meatballs but I used chicken, which corresponds better to the egg and lemon ingredients already in there and all that fresh dill. What do you think ?

The result is a silky, smooth, creamy and frothy broth, yet refreshing. The customary additional flavors that accompany this ‘symphony’ are green onion, parsley and dill but I added some leeks and an illuminating special hint of ground fennel & coriander seeds (which is unusual yet works marvelously) and to respect the yellowy whiteness of this soup, a dash of white pepper (for some bite).

I’m particularly proud of this reinterpretation of my mother’s recipe. It took me some time to reconfigure it (I cannot tell a lie) and even longer to make everything from scratch. But the satisfaction provided by going about it slowly (yes I wasn’t working that week) and doing everything meticulously and carefully, nothing rushed, nothing skimped, no huffing and puffing, just all “smiles & wonder & discovery” which is how I prefer to do everything (when I have the courage). Patience.

In this day and age, most contemporary food bloggers devote most of their time searching for and presenting ‘shortcuts’, while explaining why only ‘quick & easy’ is ‘good & cool’. Let me put it simply : if I were to ask you how much time you’d prefer that I spend on personally preparing you a dinner, would you prefer that I spend a total of 15 minutes or 1½ hours or 6 hours ? Which do you think will taste better ? Which one is worth your time and effort of actually taking the trouble of coming over and sitting at my table ? Respect.

The worst way to spend your time accomplishing tasks and chores is to rush them. The result, as well as the process provide little or no satisfaction. Treat “work & chore activities” like you would “hobby & leisurely activities” … with enthusiasm & rigour. Simplicity.

Let me be crystal clear. I’m not telling anybody what they should or should not do nor am I judging anyone. Simply be coherent and consistent in all your efforts as well as in your appreciation of other’s efforts. Only you can decide how to organize and use your time wisely and what makes you the happiest and most satisfied in the end. Got it ? Coherence.

And DAMN this soup was goooood, so repeat after me “AVGOLEMONO-YUVARLAKIA SOUPA” … :)

‘avgolemono’ (egg-lemon sauce) soup with chicken & rice ‘yuvarlakia’ (meatballs)

02.03.2018

4 ingredients

meat :

1 kg chicken legs with thighs (deboned & separated into 500 grams meat and 500 grams skin, bones)

light chicken & vegetable broth :

500 grams chicken bones & skins (cut up)
150 grams (1 ½ cups) chopped carrots
150 grams (1 ¼ cups) chopped celery
150 grams (1 ¼ cups) chopped onion
optional : 50 grams (½ cup) chopped leeks
15 grams (2 medium) sliced garlic cloves
30 ml (2 tbsp) white wine vinegar
15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil (or chicken/duck fat)
10 grams (2-3 stalks) fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 grams (4) bay leaves
15 grams (1 tbsp) sea salt
1 gram (½ tsp) ground white peppercorns
2 liters (8-9 cups) water

chicken & rice meatballs :

500 grams coarsely ground chicken meat
75 grams (½ cup) sliced scallions (and/or some leek)
55 grams (¼ cup) uncooked round arborio rice
55-60 grams (1 large) egg
15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil (or chicken/duck fat)
7,5 grams (1 ½ tsp) sea salt
5 grams (2 tbsp) fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
5 grams (2 tbsp) fresh dill
0,5 gram (¼ tsp) ground white peppercorns
0,5 gram (¼ tsp) ground coriander seeds
0,5 gram (¼ tsp) ground fennel seeds
optional : 10-20 grams (1-2 tbsp) wheat semolina or breadcrumbs (if the mixture is not firm enough)
63 grams (½ cup) all-purpose flour (for dredging the meatballs)

egg-lemon sauce :

110-120 grams (2 large) eggs (separated into yolks and whites)
60 ml (4 tbsp) lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
1 pinch of salt

optional : 55-110 grams (¼ - ½ cup) round arborio rice (at the end when you begin cooking the meatballs in the broth, to add some more body to the soup)

garnish :

fresh flat-leaf parsley & fresh dill & ground white pepper

instructions

if making your own broth and grinding your own chicken meat, begin by separating the skin from the meat and the meat from the bones/carcass (as best as you can) and reserve separately
to make the broth, heat up some olive oil at medium-high heat in a large cast iron dutch-oven or heavy casserole, add the cut-up chicken skins and brown for 2-3 minutes (to release their fat and add flavor), then add the chopped and/or sliced vegetables, brown them while stirring for 2-3 minutes, then add the cut chicken bones, water, vinegar, spices and herbs and bring to a boil (it will take about 10 minutes), then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer (covered with a lid) for 3 hours minimum, let cool down and then strain well and reserve
to make the meatballs, if grinding your own meat, cut it up and chill in the freezer with the metallic components of the grinder and then grind the meat and reserve
combine all the ingredients of the chicken & rice meatballs mixture and knead by hand until smooth and chill for at least 1 hour before shaping into meatballs (add wheat semolina and/or breadcrumbs if it seems too thin)
shape the meat mixture into 24 meatballs (about 2 tbsp or 30 grams each) using oiled hands, then dredge each meatball in flour and reserve in the refrigerator to chill them
to prepare the soup, heat up the broth until boiling (if using store-bought chicken broth or chicken stock, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil in the water), add some optional rice (¼ - ½ cup) if you want to thicken it, then drop the meatballs in one by one and let boil for 18-20 minutes (until they float and then sink down) and set aside to cool a little before adding the egg-lemon sauce
to prepare the egg-lemon sauce, in a large bowl, beat the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt until peaks form, then add the lemon juice, whisk again and finally the egg yolks and whisk until smooth, then add 1 ladle (about ½ cup) of almost hot broth and keep whisking and keep adding 1 ladle at a time and whisking until you’ve added about 8 ladles (about 4 cups), then transfer the thickened mixture to the remaining broth and meatballs and stir gently until smooth and stir in some extra fresh herbs
serve each bowl with 6 meatballs, the egg-lemon chicken broth, garnished with more fresh herbs and ground white pepper on top (if made ahaead, the soup can be reheated gently at medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally).

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‘avgolemono’ (egg-lemon sauce) soup with chicken & rice ‘yuvarlakia’ (meatballs)

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‘avgolemono’ (egg-lemon sauce) soup with chicken & rice ‘yuvarlakia’ (meatballs)

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