YOUVARLAKIA, Greek "porcupines" in egg and lemon sauce

Pamphaios, potter Wikipedia

Lamb meatballs made with rice, simmered in chicken broth, and served in an egg and lemon sauce (avgolemono) is wonderful peasant food that can be served for any occasion. A little salad with feta to go with it - and a Lebanese or Turkish Coffee after - makes quite a heavenly little feast.  It's not too expensive.  The rice helps stretch the meat.

"Porcupines" in Lemon Sauce, Youvarlakia, (Wheat-and-Gluten Free)

The recipe

Serves four

Prepare the meatballs:

• 1 pound of ground lamb
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1/4 cup Lundberg Brown Jasmine Rice
• 1/4 olive oil (does not have to be first press)
• 1 teaspoon fresh spearmint, very finely minced or crumbled
• Black pepper to taste
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 large omega-3 free-range egg
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, finely minced
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour

Prepare the sauce:

• 2 cups of homemade gluten-free chicken broth or 1 sixteen-ounce package of Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth, gluten-free
• 5 tablespoons European butter, room temperature
• 3 large omega-3 range-free eggs, at room temperature and separate
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from Meyer lemons if you can get them

Combine the first eleven ingredients, which are listed under "prepare the meatballs" above. Keep working the mixture until it is like paste, then form into small balls just a bit larger than a ping-pong ball.  Roll the meatballs in the flour

Bring the broth to a boil in a large soup pot and add the meatballs, carefully one-by-one.  Break up the butter into small pieces with your hands and distribute it over the meatballs.  Cover the pot. Turn down the heat to simmer and let the meatballs cook for forty-five minutes.

Turn off the heat.  Separate out one cup of the broth.

Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks and then whip the egg whites with some salt until they are fluffy but not quite stiff. Slowly add the yolks and then the lemon juice. Continue whipping. (I do this by hand.)  Finally, slowly add the cup of broth that you set aside.

Pour the sauce over the meatballs.  Do not stir or the meatballs will break.  Do not cover the pot.  The sauce will curdle.  Just slowly shake the pot to incorporate the sauce with the meatballs.

Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

LAMB STEW with orange and thyme

Thyme, Wikipedia.

The recipe

Serves six

• 2 pounds of lamb for stew, cut and trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh, salted butter
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 large yellow onions, cut into large dice
• 4 medium boiling potatoes, cut in fourths
• 3/4 pounds of string beans, tipped and halved
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 cup of dry red wine
• 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 2-inch pieces of orange rind
• juice of one orange
• 2 cups homemade gluten-free chicken stock or 1 sixteen-ounce package of Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth, gluten-free
• 4 springs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup of calamata olives, pitted
• freshly grated sea salt, to taste
• freshly grated black pepper, to tase

In a pot large enough to accommodate (four quarts) the ingredients, melt the butter with the olive oil.  Brown the meat in the fats and then remove them to a plate and reserve.  Sauté the onions until they are translucent.  Then add the garlic and cook, stirring well for a minute or two. Remove the garlic and onion and set aside for a moment.

Pour the wine into the pan and deglaze, loosening all the sediment from the bottom and sides. Place the lamb back into the pan. Bring to a boil, adding the broth, sautéed onions and garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, olives, orange rind, orange juice, and potatoes and string beans.

Turn down the heat.  Cover and simmer for one hour or until the meat is tender.  You may periodically have to skim the top of the stew.  Remove orange peel. Taste for salt and pepper and add as appropriate.

Actual product ingredients may contain more and different information than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.