ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP 

• For the Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground meat beef, pork, chicken or turkey or a combination of them combined with some sausage

• 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs preferably fresh

• 1 large egg

• 1 clove garlic finely minced

• 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• For the Soup:

• 1 small yellow onion finely chopped

• 1 clove garlic minced

• 8 cups Aneto 100% Natural Chicken Broth or homemade (quality broth makes all the difference

• 1 cup acini di pepe or other tiny pasta

• 1 large bunch leafy greens roughly chopped (e.g., kale, escarole, curly endive, spinach)

• Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

• Red pepper flakes for serving optional

• Place all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl or food processor and knead with your hands or pulse with the food processor until thoroughly combined.

• Form the mixture into tiny meatballs, about 1/2 inch in diameter and place them on a platter or cookie sheet. Wrap them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until ready to use.

• In a medium stock pot, heat the oil and cook the onions and garlic until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.

• Gently drop the meatballs into the soup followed by the pasta. Let the meatballs and pasta simmer for about 10 minutes.

• Add the leafy greens and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until wilted.

• Add salt and pepper to taste.

• Dish up the soup and serve sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.

• Optional (a tradition in some circles): At very end, once the greens are wilted, whisk 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese together with 1 large egg. Stir the broth to get it moving and gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the broth, stirring it gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg.