Yiouvarlakia soup with swiss chard

Beside the classic recipe of the Yiouvarlakia or the one with tomato sauce here we have another version which is more in the form of a warm, hearty soup. The addition of swiss chard and various herbs makes a delicious dish which will satisfy the fans of soups a lot.

Adapted from a recipe of Konstantina Faklari

"BHMAgourmet" magazine of "TO BHMA" newspaper

Ingredients (for 4 people)

For the yiouvarlakia:
500gr. of ground beef
½ tea-cup of dill, finely snipped
½ tea-cup of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 tea-cup of short, round grain rice (or arborio)
salt
black pepper
1-2 tbsp of olive oil

For the soup:
3-4 spring onions, finely chopped (green and white part)
½ a bunch of kale (or other greens of your choice), finely chopped
½ a bunch of dill, finely snipped
1 bunch of swiss chard, finely chopped (only the leaves)
salt
pepper
½ tea-cup of olive oil
1 tsp of tomato paste
lemon juice, for serving (optional)

Method:
In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the yiouvarlakia until they are well blended. With the mixture make small round meatballs and leave on a tray.

In a large pot warm the olive oil in medium heat and sauté the spring onions for about 2-3 minutes. Add the swiss chard, the dill, the kale and sauté for 3-4 more minutes.

Add 1½ litres of water, the tomato paste, season with salt and pepper and when the ingredients come to the boil add the yiouvarlakia one by one, carefully, so not to fall apart.

Cover the pot with the lid and leave the soup to cook for about 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the meatballs cooked through. The soup, in the end, should not be too runny or too thick either.

Serve immediately in warm plates along with lemon juice to drizzle.