Serbian veal soup (Teleća čorba)

1. Cut the veal into 1.5 cm cubes. In a pot, soften the finely chopped onion in the butter, add the meat and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes until it turns white.

2. Add the diced carrots, parsley root and celeriac, cook together for 3 minutes, then sprinkle with the flour and paprika and stir for 1 minute.

3. Gradually pour in about 2.5 litres of hot water, stirring until smooth, season with salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

4. Add the diced potatoes and cook for another 20 minutes until both meat and potatoes are tender.

5. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks smooth with the soured cream and the lemon juice, trickle in a ladleful of hot soup, then take the pot off the heat and stir the mixture into the soup (it mustn't boil again).

6. Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Tip: In Serbian cooking, čorba is the name for thick soups enriched with egg yolk – that's what makes it silky and filling. You can also make it with chicken legs instead of veal (pileća čorba), in which case 40 minutes' cooking is enough.