Yourvarlakia Avgolemono and Herb Drop Biscuits

Hey ladies, here is a soup and a bread. I have made them both several times.

I do not recommend them together, but they are both so yummy (and the biscuits are so easy) that I really wanted to share each of them. Good luck! Let me know what you think.

N.B. These are not MY recipes. I didn't invent them, can't take the credit. One is from a cookbook by Tess Mallos and the other from Martha Stewart.

Meatball Soup (Yourvarlakia Avgolemono), from Cyprus

1 lb finely ground lamb

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

1/3 cup medium-grain rice

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint, optional

salt

freshly ground black pepper

all-purpose flour for coating

5 cups lamb or chicken stock

1 Tbsp butter

2 eggs

juice of 1 lemon

chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

crusty bread for serving

In a bowl, mix lamb with onion, egg, rice, parsley, mint (if using), and salt and pepper to taste. Shape into meatballs the size of a small walnut and coat lightly with flour.

Bring stock to a boil in a soup pot, season with salt and pepper if necessary and drop in meatballs. Add butter. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

In a bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Gradually beat in lemon juice. Slowly add about 2 cups simmering stock, beating constantly.

Pour egg mixture into soup and stir constantly over low heat for 2 minutes to cook egg, then remove from heat and stir for 1 minute longer so the heat of the pot will not cause the egg to curdle.

Ladle soup into deep soup bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with bread.

Herb Drop Biscuits

Makes 8; Prep time 5 minutes; Total time 25 minutes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

-->1. Preheat oven to 425°. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, fresh chives, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork or your fingers, work in butter (cut into small pieces) until small pea-size clumps form. Mix in milk until the mixture comes together as a sticky dough. -->2. Using a 1/3-cup measure, drop 8 mounds of dough onto a nonstick baking sheet; pat down slightly.
-->3. Bake until biscuits are golden brown, rotating baking sheet halfway through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.