Armenian Kololik with Rice Soup

Separate the meat from the bones of the beef hind leg and trim away the tendons, membranes, and fat.

Boil the bones to make broth and strain it.

Salt the meat, pepper it and pound it with a wooden mallet. Sprinkle with finely chopped onion and continue pounding until you achieve a uniform elastic mass.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, add flour, milk, egg and cognac. Whisk the mixture.

When the consistency becomes semi-liquid, sprinkle with salt, pepper and finely chopped tarragon herbs. Mix and place in a cold place for 20–30 minutes to mature.

Form balls from the dough, make indentations in them, insert a piece of cold clarified butter into each, and shape them back to their original form.

Pour half of the strained broth into the pan, add the meatballs and simmer over low heat until cooked through.

Check doneness with a skewer: when pierced, the cooked cutlet releases white juice.

Prepare rice soup on the remaining broth. Add finely chopped and fried onion and tarragon herbs.

5 minutes before serving, add the beaten egg to the soup and bring to a boil.

Place the kololik in a bowl and pour rice soup over it. Serve warmed clarified butter separately.