Grandma's Giouvarlakia

Method

1. Start by making the meatballs (giouvarlakia). Place all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl and mix the ingredients with your hand until smooth. Leave the mixture to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. This will prevent the meatballs from falling apart when boiled.
2. Form the meatballs and set them aside.
3. Pour into a large pan 2 ½ cups of water and bring to a boil and add the chopped veggies (these are optional) and the bay leaves. Turn the heat down and gently add the meatballs in the water, put the lid back on and cook for 30-40 minutes. (The water should be enough to cover the meatballs, so add some more warm water if needed)
4. To prepare the egg-lemon sauce, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk. Add the lemon juice with the cornstarch and whisk well. Gradually add into the bowl a ladle of hot soup and whisk quickly. Add one more ladle slowly and whisk again until combined. Repeat once or twice until the lemon mix is hot enough.
5. Stir in the egg-lemon sauce into the giouvarlakia soup and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until warm but not boiling.
6. Serve this extra warming Greek meatball soup, while still hot with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and some feta cheese. BON APPETIT!