The benefit to working on a Sunday is dinner awaiting me when I get home. And tonight’s dinner really was great – Italian Wedding Soup!
For those who may not know, Italian Wedding soup is a thin chicken broth soup with mini-meatballs and escarole. And an egg swirled in at the end.
Why is it called Italian Wedding Soup? No idea. One explanation has it as a mistranslation of “minestra maritata” – which translates to “married soup” – meaning that meat and greens go well, together. Like most of the Italian food we eat in the USofA, it may have an origin in Italy, but it’s an Italian-American original.
Victor has been making this as long as I’ve known him. Other than having to make a bazillion little meatballs, it’s really a simple soup. And it really packs a wallop with flavor.
Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Soup
- 3 qts chicken broth
- 1 lb escarole, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Make meat balls: Mix all ingredients together and form into very small meat balls- about the size of a prize shooting marble. Place on a sheet pan off to the side.
Make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the meatballs and escarole and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the escarole is tender – about 10 minutes.
To add the egg: Whisk the eggs to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a large fork to form thin stands of egg.
Ladle into bowls and add additional grated cheese and a drizzle of good-quality olive oil.
It made enough for dinner tonight and lunch, tomorrow.
La vita è bella!