Italian Wedding Soup
The mini meatballs should be very tightly rolled so they don't break up in the soup.
INGREDIENTS | SERVES 6
24 meatballs, ½
8 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup acini de pepe pasta
2 cups chopped fresh escarole or spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan
Bring a soup pot full of water to a boil. Drop meatballs in water; immediately reduce heat to medium. Simmer 10 minutes; remove meatballs with a slotted spoon and reserve. Discard boiling water.
Place broth in soup pot. Add basil and carrots; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes; add pasta. Stir well; reduce heat to medium. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring often. Add meatballs, escarole or spinach, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 2 minutes; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle grated Parmesan over each bowl to taste.
Meatball Mix
Wedding soup meatballs should be a fine-textured mix of beef or veal, plus either ground pork or ground turkey. To get the right texture, place ground meat with fresh herbs in a food processor and pulse to a fine paste. Mix with eggs and soft bread crumbs and refrigerate until well chilled. Roll the mixture into small meatballs and drop them into boiling water to cook. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the soup.
