• Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C.

Rice:

• Combine: Finely chop the onion and grate the garlic cloves. Place them in a casserole dish. Add the oil, butter, salt, pepper, hot chicken stock, and hot water. Mix well until the butter is melted. Add the washed rice and dried thyme and combine them well.

  1 small onion + 3 garlic cloves + 2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter + 1 ½ cup hot chicken stock + 1 ¼ cup hot water + ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt + ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper + 1 teaspoon dried thyme + 1 ½ cup long grain rice
• Bake: Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Meatballs:

• Combine: In a large bowl, combine ground meat, grated onion, grated garlic, breadcrumbs, lightly beaten eggs, milk, chopped dill, paprika, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

  1.2 lbs ground meat + 1 small onion + 2 large garlic cloves + ⅓ cup dried breadcrumbs + 2 eggs + 3 tablespoons milk + 2 tablespoons chopped dill + 1 teaspoon ground paprika + 1 teaspoon dried thyme + 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce + 1 teaspoon fine sea salt + ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• Form meatballs. Take a heaped tablespoon of meat (or about ⅛ cup) and form meatballs with wet hands.
• Fry in a bit of oil, in batches, for about 5 minutes per batch or until brown all over; they should only be browned and not thoroughly cooked through.

  2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Bake:

• Remove and discard the aluminum foil. Nestle the meatballs into the rice and bake for 25 minutes until the rice and the meatballs are cooked through.
• Serve: Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

  some parsley