My Grandmother's Italian Wedding Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
(yields 18 servings)
Ingredients:
6 each 48 fluid ounce cans collagen chicken broth
4 each large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 large carrots peeled and sliced into ¼ inch discs
1# cleaned fresh spinach
6 each eggs scrambled
¾ cup grated Locatelli Cheese
1 box acini di pepe dried pasta
150 mini meatballs (1 tablespoon per ball):
1 pound ground beef (sirloin)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Locatelli Cheese
2 each eggs
Method:
First, mix all of the ingredients together for the meatballs. Take a spoonful of the mix and roll in your palm to create a sphere. Repeat this method until you created 150 meatballs. In a large saute pan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil on medium high heat. Sear 50 meatballs at a time to brown evenly. Each batch should take 2 minutes (1 minute on each side).
Add the chicken broth to one large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Then add sliced carrots, fresh spinach, and chicken breasts. Stir until well mixed and then bring to a boil. Add your seared meatballs as well as the dried pasta. Remove the chicken breasts. They should be fully cooked.
Bring the soup mixture with the dried pasta to a boil. Then lower the heat of the soup to simmer. Shred each chicken breast into small pieces. Use a knife if needed. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat for the soup. Whisk eggs with Locatelli cheese in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the mixture. Now, stir the soup with a wooden spoon while slowly pouring in the beaten egg and cheese mixture. Stir for 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Ladle hot Italian Wedding Soup into appropriate soup bowls and serve with grated Locatelli cheese.
Married To Food
In an Italian household, food is what brings family together. When I say food, I mean feasts. My family can eat courses of different southern Italian dishes that will leave you on the couch ready to take a nap. In most of Italy, the food is meant to be nourishing and in order to feed the whole family, it needs to affordable. I can recall countless memories with my close-knit family and they all happen to revolve around food. However, this certain memory happens to be a joy.
As a child, I had a great affection for my grandmother who I call, Mimi. She was always there to feed me, make me laugh, clean after me, and most importantly, comfort me. In Italian families, grandmothers have much experience through tradition and I am appreciative as I continue to spend time with my “nonna”. As a matter of fact, every Friday I would stay overnight at my grandmother’s house as a child along with my by brother, Dante. We knew that my grandmother is a great cook and were always excited for what she would prepare for us. Growing up, I always found myself in the kitchen. Uniquely, during one of my weekend mornings on a winter’s day, it was one to remember.
At the age of 7, I stayed at my grandmother’s house during winter break. It was mid December and the weather was bitter. I woke up to a deep unctuous smell that crept throughout the house. I felt my stomach growl as the mouth watering aroma trail would become stronger in scent. There I saw my grandmother at the stovetop frying off her first batch of mini meatballs. We greeted each other with smiles on our faces as she pulled a chair towards the countertop. Together, we started forming dozens of the mini meatballs until my little hands got tired. So, I took a rest. Little did I know, my reward was a plate filled with these perfectly browned spheres of meat sprinkled with my family’s favorite, grated Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese. The meatballs were bursting with juices which made the pecorino cheese melt in my mouth. This breakfast was so good I thought I was dreaming.
When I was finished with my plate, I headed toward the sink. After placing the dish inside, I took a seat in the chair that was left next to the countertop. My grandmother finished browning the meatballs and had a large pot sitting upon the stove. She then grabbed a two large handfuls of escarole and placed it in the pot. Mimi stirred with her wooden spoon and I gazed as the steam flowed from the pot, in which I couldn’t quite see inside. So, I pulled the chair closer, stood up, and peaked my head over. Inside was chicken stock simmering with carrots and diced chicken swirling around almost making me dizzy with delight. Next, in came a box of acini di pepe, which is dried pasta in the shape of peppercorns. Along with the pasta came our carefully made mini meatballs that dunked deep down into the pot. “And we wait”, Mimi said as she put her wooden spoon at the lip of the pot and a lid to cover. The flavors within the pot were left to mingle.
Around 20 minutes have passed and I was ready to taste the soup. To my misunderstanding, my grandmother was not finished. She whisked eggs with grated Locatelli and added salt and pepper. Mimi handed me the bowl after I stood tall on the chair overlooking the pot. She picked up her trusty wooden spoon and stirred as I slowly poured in the egg mixture. I noticed there wasn’t any steam like I saw before. Nonetheless, the soup was spirling of a good 30 seconds and my grandmother came over with two spoons. I knew the soup was done. I inspected the pot, retrieved a meatball with some beautifully green escarole, and gave my spoon a nice blow. Simultaneously, Mimi and I gave it a taste, leaving us smiling. I was amazed at how wonderful my grandmother really is and I was in awe that I took part in making her favorite dish, Italian wedding soup.
